Nalu Drabbles and Short Stories
by TheThoughtRepository
Summary: 100 Prompts/100 Drabbles: Some funny, some sad, some cute as heck. Care for a glance?
1. Flash

**Welcome to my drabble series! Hope you enjoy these.**

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**~"My friend thought you were cute so she tried to take a picture of you for snapchat and her flash went off but when you looked our way she shoved her phone in my hands and nOW YOU THINK ITS ME AND OH GOD PLS DONT BE MAD"~**

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**-Prompt by homohighness onTumblr-**

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"I mean I'm not comparing anyone here, because if we were he'd be out like _that, _but I'm just saying Lucy, he's pretty cute."

Lucy sighed, her cheek in her palm and her eyes in a daze. She had a point, it wasn't like he was a Calvin Klein model or anything, but he did have this cute, goofy ambiance about him that made him seem pretty damn adorable. He wasn't doing anything special, he was just lounging by the breakfast bar casually, an arm resting on the counter and his ankles crossed with a bored look on his face. His hair was pink, out of all colors the almighty one could have chosen from, yet it complemented his tan skin well, might she say herself.

"Nothing compared to Gajeel though."

Lucy glanced to her friend, raising an eyebrow with more sass than she intended, yet said nothing about that.

"I guess you're right Lev, he is pretty cute," She admitted.

The breakfast diner they both suggested turned out to be the good choice, with a good view. It was still a little early for Lucy, she had stayed up all night trying to get her research paper done for her Psych class that was due on Monday. It was Saturday now, but she liked to get things like that out of the way so she could actually enjoy her weekend. Levy was a beam of sunshine, as always. She was always a morning person, and a night owl at the same time. Lucy wondered if her friend ever actually slept sometimes.

_Not since her boyfriend liked to make nightly visits in the girls dorm_, Lucy thought with a smirk.

Levy wasn't her roommate, but she did live across the hall from her, and Lucy could tell one personally, _it was obvious when Gajeel made his appearance_.

"He doesn't really seem like my type though, you know?" Lucy said a moment later. "I kinda like classy guys."

Levy let out a mix of a snort and groan, "You haven't even met him yet Luce, and not all guys are gonna be your knight in shining armor. Especially not here and in this age."

Lucy groaned along with her and rolled her eyes, letting her head fall to the table, "But Levy! There has to be some guy out there, I just need one! One good one!"

"And he might be it!" Levy prodded, "He already has the attractive factor down, that's already one out of three."

Lucy grumbled some inaudible words against her forearm, at which Levy glared and looked back to the guy at the counter. He really did have that attractive factor down all right.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to go find out his life story right now, but at least try and talk to him if you see him again alright?" Levy insisted, "I still think you're making a mistake by not doing it now though."

Lucy sat up again, "It's not like he's dying off, I'm just waiting for a sign alright? That he's the one. I'll probably end up forgetting about him anyways."

"Well we can take care of that," Levy snorted smugly, pulling out her purse.

Lucy eyed her carefully, glancing between her and the man, "Levy, what are you doing, what are you-"

"Shh, relax, nothing," She giggled, holding up her phone in front of her face.

"Don't Levy!" Lucy whispered-shouted, gritting her teeth.

Levy flipped her camera and zoomed in on the guy at the counter, ignoring Lucy.

"Oh my God..." Lucy sighed, pressing her fingertips to her temples.

"What? He won't even know. And this can be your new background or something," She shrugged, waiting till he looked somewhere else to get a clear shot of his face.

Lucy waited impatiently as Levy fixated her shot, rolling her eyes, "Can you take it alr-"

_*FLASH*_

A beam of light caused the guy to jump, his eyes whipping towards the two girls. Lucy froze, her jaw unhinged and heard a the screech of a chair feet against the tile of the floor. She finally blinked, after what seemed like an hour of eye contact with the guy and glanced down to her hands...where Levy's phone was currently held, and Levy herself absolutely nowhere to be seen.

_Are you fucking kidding me Levy_, Lucy would have yelled, that is if she could speak at the moment. Her eyes raised back up to the man, his own still staring her down like an eagle and she was a petty little mouse.

He looked confused at first, then curious, and then a crooked, awkward smile made an attempt at the corners of his lips.

"Did you just...take a picture of me..?" He asked, nodding towards the phone in her hands.

Lucy hadn't closed her mouth since the flash, and she honestly didn't plan to for a good while. Like, until she was in her grave, or something reasonable like that.

"Um.." She licked her lips, letting her mouth fall open again.

She was a straight A student in one of Fiore's most prestigious colleges, and on the top 10 of the Dean's List, yet this was the hardest thing she's ever been challenged with. Getting the word _no_ out of her mouth.

"I...I don't, um..." She started shaking her head, very slowly and forced her mouth shut before she spouted anymore nonsense.

He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to stroll towards her table. Lucy felt her heart in her throat and her stomach in her chest. She quickly dropped the phone on the table, as if doing that now would matter in the least and scooted back in her chair as he approached her, biting her lip harshly. It was way too early for this shit.

He came up to her, his knees just barley brushing hers and opened up his mouth.

"Accident."

He rose an eyebrow.

_Good work Lucy, just like that, small and simple words, good girl. You're doing great._

"I mean, um," She tried again, licking her pink lips, "I was just taking a selfie and...the uh...I forgot to turn off the flash. You know how that can be."

"Right, right." He nodded, "A selfie?"

"Yeah." She said softly, averting her eyes everywhere but his stupid, adorable face.

"Wow, you look a lot like me then." He noted, his eyes to the table beside her.

Lucy glanced over and saw Levy's phone...still opened up to the picture of him that she took. It was actually a decent picture she took, _considering she threw it at me and fucking bolted._

"We could be twins almost."

Lucy closed her eyes and exhaled very deeply, and very slowly. She rested her elbow on the table and held her head by her fist, "Alright, you know what? Yeah, it wasn't a selfie, it was a picture of you, _but_-"

She stopped herself at the knowing look he suddenly gave her and held up a finger, "_But_, I didn't do it."

He looked enlightened, "Really? Who did then?"

Lucy opened her mouth again and looked across the table, to the empty chair that was _supposed_ to hold her _supposedly_ best friend. She glanced up and saw Levy peeking out from the bathroom door, but quickly recede upon her look.

Nothing. She had nothing. Nothing left to say, no excuses, and not enough heart or gut to even speak again at all.

"A ghost?" She heard him speak up again, his voice thick in amusement.

Lucy let out a weary sigh, burying her face in her hands. He didn't say anything else for a while, yet she still refused to even look at him again. _The one guy_. The one guy that could have been him, and _this_ is how they met.

"You know I heard that this place is haunted. Something about a mass murder shooting back in the 80's and weird stuff happening since."

She dragged her hand away from her face, looking up to him with large, mortified eyes. He rocked back and forth on his heels, giving her a sympathetic grin. A crooked one.

"You mind telling your ghost friend that if they wanted to come talk to me, they're free too? I'm actually pretty cool to talk too." He said, his smile widening.

Lucy felt her mouth open up again.

"I live in the West wing, room 412. Tell 'em to stop by when they get a chance."

He gave her a tilt of his head and a nod, before turning on his heel to head towards the door.

"Uh," Lucy began, trying to swallow her fear and get the lump out of her throat.

He stopped and looked back to her, his dark eyes gleaming in the light.

"Who should I say gave the message?" She asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

He scrunched up his nose and shrugged, leaning up against the door, before he opened it and left.

"Tell her to come find out."

Lucy fell back against her seat with a smirk on her lips and a shake of her head. She heard the all familiar sound of chair legs against the tile flooring.

"Wow! That went great!" Levy cheered, clapping her hands.

Lucy gazed back to her friend, her expression dropping to a murderous aura.

"I'm going to kill you."

That was the last thing said, before said table and chairs were knocked over and a restraining order was placed on them both.

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	2. Vending Machine

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**~"mY CHIPS WOULDN'T COME OUT THE VENDING MACHINE AND I GOT MAD AND TRIED TO GRAB IT BUT NOW MY HAND'S STUCK AND PLS STOP LAUGHING AT ME THIS IS V SERIOUS IM GOIG TO CRy"~**

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**-Prompt by homohighness-**

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Natsu thought his night was going pretty well; he had just saw the scores of his college exams and passed them all with flying colors (thanks to a certain bookworm), and he had just come from the most_ amazing_ party he's ever been too, and now he'd plan to go rewatch his favorite movie with his best friend in the whole world before the semester was up. So yeah, it was a pretty awesome night, but now, seeing this sight at three in the morning while he was a little more than tipsy, he _literally_ could not keep it together.

"NATSU! QUIT LAUGHING AND HELP ME, I'M SO SERIOUS!"

He felt himself slide down the wall, his chest _hurting_ like he was just in a fucking car crash. _Oh dear God_, his laughter was practically silent now, he couldn't take it anymore. He was suffocating, this was just way too funny.

He knew Lucy was clumsy naturally, and he knew if he got a few drinks in her that was the only part of her personality that heightened, but this, _this_ was a new low even for her. He had the movie all set and ready in her room, everything was fine, but she just _had _to go and get a chocolate bar. He could have suspected it, some kids were blazing up at the party and let the smoke drift throughout the room as well, so it wasn't surprising she had the munchies. Definitely wasn't worth it though.

Natsu wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffed his nose, pulling out his phone with an "Oh God..."

"_Natsu._" Lucy hissed lowly, jumping in shock at the flash of his phone, "NATSU!"

He started laughing again at the photo he took; she looked absolutely pathetic. Lucy sat on the floor, her _freaking arm_ up in the vending machine dispenser, _stuck_. Her clothes were ruffled and dirty from the party and her mascara had smeared around her eyes; she looked awful.

"I just wanted a candy bar Natsu, please help me!" She whined, swaying back and forth as much as she could. "Stupid thing got stuck and I tried to grab it and it didn't work and my arm got stuck and, and-"

"Okay okay Luce, it'll be alright." He chuckled, finally walking over to her. "Can't you just pull it out?"

"Gee Natsu, I never thought of that," She said with a snap and a glare, "It hurts too much to pull it, it's like cutting off my circulation or something!"

Natsu sighed and ignored her tone. He knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Well we're gonna try anyways."

He began pulling her towards his chest and she bite down on her lip hard, before she finally cried out.

"Ow! Natsu stop, stop!" She felt him immediately let go. She pushed against the machine, but it didn't budge anymore. "This hurts so much, damn."

Natsu stood up and exhaled heavily, dragging a hand through his hair. "Shit Lucy...you might actually be stuck here for a while."

"No, no," She pleaded, "Don't leave me here, I'm way too wasted and hungry to wait for someone to come. And I can't let my dad hear about this."

"What do you want me to do then?" He asked, starting to get concerned.

"I don't know Natsu!" She cried, banging her head against the glass.

Natsu fell back against the wall, sharing stares with the people passing by Lucy with weird looks. He was too drunk for this, his mind could barely keep his eyes focused on one thing.

"And wiggling it around won't work?" He asked, trying to keep his eyes open.

"No," She pouted, "Hurts too much to even try and move it."

Natsu nodded slowly, jutting out his bottom lip, and heard Lucy suddenly gasp, "Natsu! Go get something to wet my arm so I can wiggle it out!"

"What, like lube or something?" He subconsciously asked.

Lucy arched an eyebrow at his choice of words, but nodded, "Yeah, I guess."

Natsu stood upright and suddenly grinned, "Alright! I'll go to Loke's!"

Lucy froze. _He meant actual lube._

"_WAIT NO!" _She shrieked, waving her arm behind her as Natsu shot down the hallway.

He stopped and turned back, "What?"

"Get back here! Right now!" She ordered. She couldn't turn around to face him, but she secretly just hoped he would listen.

Natsu came around to her face, confused, "What? It'll get you out."

"By using Loke's sex lube? Seriously?" She snapped, "What the hell is the matter with you, that is _disgusting_."

Natsu thought a moment, before rolling his eyes and keeping his mouth shut, "He _would_ have some though, I mean c'mon, it's Loke."

"I mean _water_ or lotion, dumbass." She said, grinding her teeth.

Natsu raised a brow at the insult, "You really think you're in any place to be calling _me_ that?"

Lucy sighed and rolled her hazel eyes, "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm just getting impatient. Please hurry."

Natsu let a smile slip on his lips, "Much better."

Twenty minutes later Natsu came back with Lucy's lotion and tried rubbing it on her arm, yet proved difficult. Soon enough he was behind her again with his arms around her waist.

"Oww," Lucy said with a weary cry. She twisted her arm back and forth as Natsu pulled her, but it was all futile. She didn't budge an inch.

Natsu let go and groaned loudly, dragging his hand through his hair again. Lucy began sniffling and banged her head against the glass repeatedly. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Yeah me neither." Natsu agreed. He just wanted to watch his movie tonight, that's all.

Lucy hissed in pain, "I think I'm bleeding, my arm looks super red."

"Hm," Natsu hummed tiredly.

Lucy heard beeps and chings above her coming from the machine and twisted her neck to look up above her. She saw Natsu pressing buttons and felt a bag of chips smack her hand as it fell in the dispenser.

"Are you kidding me?" She gawked as he gently pushed her to get his snack. He hummed, "Ass."

Natsu grabbed his bag and made a disgusted sound, "Ew you got blood all over it," He wiped the red liquid off the bag and onto his pants.

Lucy watched him with a glare as he sunk to the ground next to her, the plastic of his chips crackling annoyingly. She had nothing else to say. She was dizzy and tired and completely out of ideas, and it was obvious Natsu was in the same ballpark. She didn't know how long she sat there, it felt like hours and the longer she sat, starving, the more she felt like giving in.

Soon enough a long whistle came from behind her. "Damn, what happened here?"

Natsu rolled his eyes at Gajeel approaching with a huge grin on his face. He entered Lucy's view and starting laughing, "Oh Bunny girl..."

Lucy leaned her head against the glass, "My chocolate bar got stuck and so did I."

Gajeel nodded and rocked on his heels as he walked around to the other side, "I kinda need to use this..."

Lucy glared up to him.

"Fuck off Gajeel." Natsu said blandly.

Gajeel forced back another smile and said nothing. Lucy felt a small shove on her back and the tip of her chocolate bar slip from her fingertips. She gawked as he fled the hallway running, "HEY! THAT'S MINE!"

Lucy waved her arm back and forth angrily, a grunt spilling from her lips that sounded a little more sexual than irritated. Natsu held back a grin at that.

"I have to get out of here." She said a moment later, her voice quivering, "I'm starving and tired and I'm going_ insane_, I need to get out."

Natsu saw her sway back and forth like some mental patient in a straight jacket. Her eyes flashed between the panes of glass across from her and searched among the people passing by.

"OH! ELFMAN! HEY ELFMAN!" She screeched, making Natsu jump.

Elfman and his body builder, muscle protein addict self walked past the first pane. Lucy did another unappealing grunt in dismay and tried kicking the glass to catch his attention, her skirt riding up her legs. Natsu shook his head at her, _another panty shot for the tally_.

Elfman still didn't hear or see her, "Natsu! Go get him!"

Natsu sighed and stood up to knock on the glass, waving Elfman inside the building. He came around and did the usual, laughing for a good five minutes before calming down to actually hear Lucy out.

"You have to break it."  
Natsu rose an eyebrow at Lucy's order. Little miss goody two shoes would never damage school property, that would definitely come back to bite her in the ass.

"You want me to break the vending machine?" He asked.

"Yes, break the glass. Shove it, hit it, shoot it with a gun, I don't care _just get me out_." She pleaded anxiously, "Come on, use your anger! Hulk smash! Let's go!"

She banged on the glass and kicked her feet, "Come on!"

Elfman sighed and stepped up to her, "Alright, but if I get ticketed you're paying me back."

"Whatever, just do it."

Natsu stood behind him, his expression unsure. Elfman raised his big meaty fist and cocked his arm back, before bringing it full force down on the dispenser. Lucy flinched at the attack and felt her head be pushed into a chest. A small piece of glass fell on her leg, and she felt more blood dribble down her arm. Elfman hit the machine again and again, until the entire case of glass shattered on top of Lucy and Natsu.

Lucy cried out in pain and fell back onto Natsu, cradling her arm with a hiss of pain.

"You okay?!" Natsu panicked and raised her face to his. She nodded and raised her bloody arm to examine, before freezing in her spot. She whipped her face up to Natsu's with the biggest smile he's ever seen her have.

"I'M FREE!" She screamed, "HOLY SHIT!"

Lucy threw her arms around Natsu's neck and twirled him around. She laughed and cried at the same time as he hugged her back with just as much force, lifting her off the ground. She pulled back and gave him a long kiss on his cheek. She pulled away with bright red cheeks, before kissing his lips just as sweetly and fervently.

Lucy heard Elfman give a boisterous laugh and hugged him as well, spinning off the ground.

"Do I get a kiss too?" He joked.

Lucy blushed with a giddy laugh and leaned up, before being pulled back into a pair of arms.

"No, you don't." She heard Natsu say from beside her ear. She bit down on her lip, rolling her eyes with a silly grin.

She turned around in his arms and saw him smile crookedly, "Can we go finish our movie now?"

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**Leave a review? I hope you liked it :)**


	3. Wednesdays Suck

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**~"I accidentally puked on your shoes at a party a few months ago and we run into each other at the supermarket, so I take the chance to apologize but it turns out you dont remember me wow i'm stupid"~**

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**-Prompt by Brotherjem on Tumblr-**

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Wednesdays were the worst. Everyone always said they loved them because it was a sign that the week was almost over and it was close to Friday, but all it really said for me was that I had to go through the first half of the week all over again. It was my shopping day, and coincidentally my mild hangover day, except without the alcohol. All of my hardest college courses were on Tuesdays, and so were the exams that had me up until two in the morning trying to absorb all the information I could. And it was also the day my time of the month decided to make its glorious appearance. Of course.

I hated when people stared at me. Especially on Wednesdays, because I always think I have a stain on my pants or something, but I don't. It was just my pants in general. I liked oversized sweatpants okay? Sometimes guys would leave them in my room after parties and never came back for them, so you can just call me an accepting lost and found. I suppose wearing these pants with a shirt I've had since eleventh grade made it look a little awkward, considering how low they hung around my hips and how short my shirt was, but hey, it was comfortable and I honestly couldn't care less.

Either way, didn't peoples parents tell them it was rude to stare? No matter if I look like I just got kicked out of my apartment, it still wasn't very nice.

I passed through the corner stores doors, feeling a rush of relief from the 98 degree weather. I made it quick and picked up some 50% off holiday candy for baking and a new box of tampons, glaring at the religious group that looked disgusted at my 'immodesty'. All I needed now was some cake batter for Erza and I could get out of this place. I walked around to the baking aisle and turned into it, before choking back a gasp and sliding back on my feet to the other aisle. I groaned. Oh_ shit_.

I completely forgot about him. I wanted to forget about him, actually, but I didn't really think I would ever see him again. I peeked back around the corner. Damn, he was still cute.

Natsu. I've only ever spoken to him once, which was comprised of about five or six words before I ended up puking all over his shoes. It was my fault really, I agreed to the drinking contest against Cana that night and it was just a really dumb idea. I really wanted to talk to him all night but I never gained the courage, that is until I got a few drinks in me. He was super cute and he always seemed really fun when he was with his friends and I was super friend jealous and I don't even know, I just _really_ wanted to meet him. Now he probably remembers me as that 'disgusting chick who ruined my shoes'.

It was mortifying for me, yet probably just as much to him as well. I should apologize. Maybe buy him some shoes too? I was low on cash actually, only if he suggests it.

I walked up to him looking at a box of marshmallow fluff and hesitated at the last step. Shit, I probably looked like that disgusting girl he had as my memory right now.

"Hey," I said, offering a smile.

He looked towards me and glanced around himself, before turning back. "Hey."

He gave a cute little polite smile, crooked as always, but didn't say anything else. He looked kind of confused really. Dear God this was awkward.

"Listen, um," I scratched my nose, "I just wanted to say I was sorry..for before."

His eyebrow creased and I saw him searching my face with that clueless look he always had.

"Sorry?" He asked.

"Yeah, you know it really wasn't cool what I did, I guess I just had one too many and you were just there."

He gave me this look, but didn't say anything.

"I mean I've never puked on anyone before at a party, so I just wanted to say sorry for that," I tried saying, rubbing my nose again.

"Wait," He suddenly said, "Do I know you or something?"

Oh shit. No, no, no.

"Wait, you threw up on me?" Well if he didn't look disgusted then, he was now.

I froze in my tracks._ He didn't know_. He didn't remember me or _anything_.

"Uh...yeah?" I squeaked, biting down on my lip.

He looked like he didn't know how to take the news, it was a mix of repulsion and confusion.

"It was an accident! Of course, I mean I didn't do it on purpose," I laughed dryly, "I just meant that I was kind of drunk and I felt really nervous so..."

"Nervous? Why?" He asked.

I froze again. Jesus put me out of my misery please, right now. Right now, I can't take it anymore.

"I just, I was just...talking to _you_ so..." I drifted off, wanting to roll my eyes into the back of my head and never see the light of day again.

Natsu looked confused for a good second, before he realized what I said and let his eyes grow wide.

"You know what? Nevermind. About it all, just nevermind. I'm gonna, uh, go." I blurted, letting my feet take control and start walking backwards. He let his mouth open but stopped his words as I crashed right into a shopping cart, dropping most of everything in my hands.

Are you _kidding_ me? Are you kidding me?

I quickly swiped up my candy bag and reached for my tampons, but another hand got them first.

"Here..." Natsu said, holding up the small box. I saw him read the label.

Are you _fucking_ kidding me?

I forced back a whimper in my throat and snatched the box from his hands. I couldn't read what his face said, but I knew either way I didn't want too. I darted back from the aisle and ran to the other side of the store in the freezer section. I legit wanted to cry right now. I stared at myself in the icy door, my hair in a topknot with strands everywhere and my pants hanging dangerously low. I just groaned.

I didn't even get my freaking cake mix.

I couldn't leave without it, Erza would have my head if I said I would get her some and then showed up without it. I had to go back, maybe he was done and in another aisle by now. I crept up to the baking aisle again and turned inside, before spinning around and heading out again.

Yes, he was still there and yes, he saw me. I probably waited a good ten minutes before peeking again and watching him head out to the cashiers. I bolted and got the stupid cake mix and finally breathed of relief. Now all I had to do was check out, good thing there are ten registers.

Oh gee, and _look at that! _Only one of them was open! Number one customer service for sure!

You know what, I don't care anymore. There obviously was no fixing this thing with him so who even cares. I stepped up behind him and saw him glance back at me and I seriously had to resist spinning on my heel again to run away. I stopped midway and spun back to him slowly, looking at him through my eyelashes. I saw him grin a little, but suppress it till it was a tiny smile. That jerk.

The cashier scanned his items and cleared up the conveyor belt near the end. She glanced up to me and gave a friendly smile, "Ma'me feel free to place your items up here, your arms must be tired."

Oh my god _shut up_.

Natsu pulled out his wallet silently but I could still see him struggling to keep his grin down. He was really getting a kick out of this.

"Thanks." I said blandly.

You know what, I don't care. I don't even care anymore, I really don't. I stepped up next to his shoulder and dropped my handful onto the conveyor belt, my box of tampons falling onto his can of marshmallow fluff. I just left it, I'm so done with today anyways. Can't really get much worse.

She scanned all his items up until his marshmallow fluff and held up my box on top of it, "Is this, uh, yours? Or...?"

Natsu blew up his cheeks, looking back to me. "It's mine." I said, my tone lead.

"Right, of course." She blushed, putting it on the counter.

The cashier scanned my items as Natsu paid for his and grabbed his bags.

"Your total is $25.45." She said, giving me the receipt.

"Twenty five?" I said. No no no, I only have cash now and I only have twenty bucks. No _please_.

"Yes," She nodded, her expression uncomfortable.

"I only have twenty bucks, the tampons said they were only twelve bucks." I said, tapping on my box.

"They were marked up last Wednesday..." She told me, giving me a sympathetic glance.

Have I mentioned I hate Wednesdays?

"Why are they so expensive?" I asked, my tone coming out harsher than I intended as I searched my pockets.

"I'm sorry ma'me, I don't control the prices." She said softly.

"I know, I'm sorry." I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I only have twenty dollars so..."

The cashier gave a small shrug as she took back my box. Jesus? Where was that lightning bolt? I asked for it some time ago actually, I could use it right about now.

"I can spot her a few bucks." The voice nearly made me jump. I glanced back to Natsu, holding up his wallet with that same grin, but a little more empathetic now.

Geez, didn't he leave already? What more could he get amusement from?

Okay, dumb question.

"Really?" I asked, skeptically.

"Only a few bucks right?" He said, pulling out the change and handing it to the cashier.

The lady rung me up as I looked back to him, my lips in a pout. He only smiled knowingly at me.

"Thanks." I mumbled to Natsu, taking my bag.

"No problem." He shrugged, walking next to me towards the door, "You owe me one now though." I looked to him, grinning at me, "Looks like you have to buy me tampons now next time I need them."

I laughed for the first time that day. "Sounds like a date."  
"Really nice one right?" He joked, "I like going over the top on the first dates, kinda a tradition."

I laughed again and nudged his shoulder with mine as we made it out into the parking lot. He nudged me back, before glancing down my body.

"I like your pants." He complimented.

I looked down to my sweats, still barely held up around my hips. "Thanks?"

"I think I had a pair like those once, but I haven't seem them in a while." He thought out loud.

I puffed up my cheeks and nodded silently. Whoops? Oh well, they were mine now.

I came up to my car and stopped, "How about a drink?"

I surprisingly felt a surge of confidence at this moment and I'd be damned if I wasted it.

"Probably not as expensive as feminine products, but maybe it'll be a nice substitute instead." I shrugged.

He grinned at that. Crookedly, of course, and I couldn't help but do the same back.

"Sounds like a date."

I probably made the dorkiest laugh I've ever made at that moment as he began walking away. I bit my lip to hold back another geeky grin and quickly went into my car.

Maybe Wednesdays weren't all that bad after all. At least, now they weren't.

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**Wednesdays suck, amiright? Hope you liked it, review bitte?**


	4. The Spy Upstairs

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~"I'm a spy and I live above you and I know you thought you heard gun shots but I assure you it was just my extrememly loud uh…dog"~

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-Prompt by houselannisters on Tumblr-

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My mother always told me I had a very vivid imagination. As a child I always dreamed up these weird characters and always jumped straight to conclusions when given any situation. Once, when my father had a business meeting and a client came to my house for a scotch and a talk, I was completely convinced he was a mobster...just because he was Italian. I had it all figured out too, I thought that he was just 'pretending' to be an insurance client for my dads company so that he could gain free access to my dads railroads and so that he could use them to take over the city or something and the insurance company was just a whole big front. It didn't make sense, I know, but figuring out and investigating his whole scheme made me so happy and I just felt so _alive_. I loved stories like that, and I still do.

I was twenty four now and I had my own apartment with a pretty steady job. My life got a little boring sometimes, so what I usually did to keep me interested was what I did when I was little; try and find out peoples life stories. Maybe my old boss was involved in gang activities and owed a huge debt to some very nasty people, (I would know I was his accountant) and maybe that sweet old lady at the grocery store was arrested once for murder, you never knew. But wasn't that just exciting? Finding out all these clues to really_ know_ people? To know all the bad things they might have done or maybe just life altering accidents? I know it's none of my business and I shouldn't snoop, but you can't put a lid on imagination, especially one like mine.

_Which_...was sort of why I was convinced the cute guy upstairs was a CIA spy? You know, the whole professional killer/assassin type?

I know it sounds dumb that someone like that could be living in a two bedroom apartment in Magnolia, but hear me out. Yes, I didn't have much evidence and yes, most of this investigation was all theory, but I have a good feeling on this one.

I never really got to speak to him a lot, I usually only caught him on the elevator going up to my floor. I'm guessing we had similar hours, I had the graveyard shift at the hospital and he...well...let's just say it'd be dumb to assassinate people in broad daylight. Wink wink.

He was secluded, but our relationship had become familiar enough that he remembered my work hours and kept the elevator open for me. I wonder how long he stands there for me some days? Who knew a killing machine would be as polite as him.

I know the usual reaction to this type of situation would probably involve being scared of him and super worried for my life, (considering the whole, 'if I tell you my identity and what I do, I have to kill you to keep you quiet) but I honestly just wanted to prove to myself that my paranoia was worth something for once. And it wasn't like I've never seen a dead body before, I handled them for a living and let me tell you, I've seen some pretty gruesome stuff.

I was heading home now from my shift, eager to see him again. It kind of made me giddy to know he would always be waiting for me. Geez, look at me, falling for the withdrawn spy that lived right above me. What a love story.

I opened up the apartment lobby door and immediately saw him, staring at his phone with the doors stuck open. I hurried in and gave him a friendly smile.

"Hey, thanks for holding it open." I bit down on my lip to keep my smile from widening. I didn't know why he made me feel like this, like I could just freak out right here and now with the biggest squeal I could manage. Maybe it was his good looks, or the fact that he could _actually_ be a spy! Either way, it had me ecstatic for this part of the day.

"No problem." He said casually, pressing his floor number and mine as well. We were the top two floors so our ride was pretty long.

"How was your day?" I said, trying to sound casual.

He glanced up with the same look he always gave. You know, the one that said, 'why are you always so eager to talk at four in the morning to a stranger you barely know?'

He told me before that his name was Natsu, but I knew better to believe that. No professional agent would release their real name. I thought about maybe giving him a fake name of mine as well, but I skimped out at the last minute and just said it was Lucy.

"Tiring. Had a lot of clients to meet today." He sighed.

Oh right, and he said he was a traveling agent for some company that I didn't listen too because _duh_, total front for what he really does. 'Lots of clients' today? Probably broke up an illegal underground auction or something.

I liked spy movies.

"Busy day for me too, although your clients are probably more stubborn than mine, right?" I said.

He gave me a nod and a little smile, "Yeah, they're pretty pesky sometimes. Can't stand them when they don't listen to you."

Probably didn't drop their weapons when he said too.

Not that he looked the part of a spy, I mean he was definitely well built, strong arms and such, but he had pink hair for one. I could respect it though, it made him look a little goofy, but that totally kept him underestimated. Smart move.

He was still cute though.

"Totally get it." I nodded, smiling. "Just wanna kill them sometimes, right?"

This was too much fun.

He looked back up to me after a second. Hesitation, noted. He sighed a smile and nodded, scratching the back of his head, "Yeah, sometimes."

The elevator dinged and opened up to my floor.

"Well, have a good night." I said, waving at him as I stepped out.

He grinned back at me wearily, "Yeah, you too Lucy."

I bit my lip again to quit smiling like a fool. He seemed to notice as the doors closed, and I swore his smile widened a touch. He was so cute.

And he was _so_ a killer!

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I knew I could prove it, I just needed a sign. I needed him to slip up, leak something, just _once_. I kept my eyes wide open for that chance, and this night, while reading in my living room at four in the morning, I think my wish was finally granted.

It was completely silent, (as it would be at this hour) and I heard my ceiling creak. Or, more specifically, Natsu's floor. I didn't think much of it, maybe he just slipped on something, but then I heard a crash, like a lamp or glass fall over. There was a lot of stomping and things like that, but then I heard it.

I _swear_ I heard it. A gunshot. It wasn't super loud, like usual, but it was the soft echo of one _maybe_ in a silencer? Guns were still loud even with them. It was deathly silent after that. I felt my stomach in my mouth,_ holy shit! _He just killed someone, didn't he? He had a fight and killed someone! Someone broke in maybe?

I didn't realize what I was doing until I found myself pounding on the elevator button. I had to catch him in the act, I just had too. There's no way he can clean it all up in this time frame, face it, _I caught you!_

I calmed myself down before his door, taking in deep breaths. There was a slight possibility that I could be murdered tonight, but you know what they say, 'curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back'. I was really hoping on that latter part.

I knocked on his door gently, chewing on my lip. My stomach was flipping in circles at this moment, I really hope I don't puke on his shoes or anything.

That should probably be the least of my concerns right now.

I heard quick footsteps inside for a good moment before the door cracked open. He opened it just enough so that the top of his head could peek out and see me. I gave an awkward smile with a wave.

He cleared his raspy throat and I saw him disappear for a second. _Dropping your gun buddy boy?_

He came back a second later and open his door enough for his chest to be seen. He wore a white T-shirt and he offered me a distracted smile.

"Lucy, hey. What's up?" He breathed out.

"Oh nothing," I shrugged, "I just, uh, heard a lot of crashing upstairs and came to see if you were alright. It sounded pretty bad."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, yeah." He nodded, resting his elbow on the door frame. He unintentionally cracked his door wider with that gesture._ Holy shit_. It was a mess in there. Was there a body?_ Holy shit_.

"Yeah, I was just a little concerned, you know." I said, trying so _desperately_ to keep calm at this moment, "Thought I heard a shot or something weird like that."

He let out a nervous laugh and I was relieved to do the same.

"Shot? Like gunshot, you mean?" He asked.

_Oh quit playing innocent you._

"Yeah, like a gunshot," I laughed.

He started shaking his head slowly, as if musing it over, "Nope, no guns here. You probably heard my uh...dog."

Are you _serious_ man?

"Dog?" I questioned. He nodded slightly, not looking too sure of himself. "Oh, I didn't know you had a dog. Can I see him? Is he okay?"

"Cat." He blurted. I rose an eyebrow. "I have a cat, actually, sorry."

I was about to retort before he disappeared for a second and returned with a blue mass in his hands, "His name is Happy."

I was actually more of a dog person.

"Cute." I smiled. He let the crying cat run off into his room.

"So yeah, Happy just got scared and knocked some stuff over. No big,_ no guns_." He insisted.

"Okay, no guns." I said lightly, failing to keep my smile hidden. I held my breath though.

He looked uncomfortable with how I stared at him, but oh my god, _oh my god_.

"Are you bleeding?" I asked, keeping my voice surprisingly steady. I pointed to some drips of blood on his neck and his eyes grew wide before he wiped them away.

"Happy scratched me." He immediately said.

I nodded, but I _so_ knew better. It wasn't his blood.

"Alright, well I guess I'll get out of your hair now." I suggested, mostly because I could _not_ take in all of this happening at once.

He nodded, "Alright. I guess I'll uh, see you later?"

I opened my mouth again. A pained groan came from his bathroom.

Natsu let his eyes practically bug out. I let _my_ eyes bug out. _There was another assassin in his bathroom! _

"Y-Yeah..." I said mindlessly.

"I, uh, I gotta go Lucy." He said, he sounded panicked. I nodded subconsciously. He closed the door with a final, "Goodnight."

I didn't know how long I stood there, frozen. This was my first solved case. There was _no_ way he couldn't be a spy. The apartment mess, the blood, _the freaking groan of pain that he so obviously tried to hide. _It was all there! He really was a spy!

I did a mini dance in the hallway before running to the elevators and back down to my room._ Holy shit! _And he didn't kill me! He _so_ knows that I know, I mean any idiot could piece it all together! Would he confront me? Would he act any different?

I didn't know what all of this meant for me now, but I did know two crucial things.

One, my neighbor upstairs was a professional assassin/spy who had a traveling agency as a front.

And two, I _totally_ had a crush on him.

_Holy shit._

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**I really like this idea for a story, maybe I'll continue it? Leave a review and lemme know what you think of it. I hope you liked it. :)**


	5. Hot Doctors

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**~"You're a really hot doctor who's checking my lungs and heartbeat and oh shit I think you can hear how fast my heart is beating because of you oh shit oh sh-"~**

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**-Prompt by me :)-**

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Most people hated the annual doctor checkups, whether because of the cost, or the tedious scheduling, or even the fact that it was basically useless. I, for one didn't mind in the least, I actually sort of looked forward to the occasions. I had to go more frequently since my niece, Wendy, was sick for a long while with some symptoms that stumped most of the doctors assigned to her. She was almost marked terminal before they gave another doctor a shot at treating her, and thank God, the guy fixed her up good as new. I was really forever in his debt, I remember as soon as he diagnosed her he had to tell me to stop with the 'thank you's' already.

So yeah, he was _sort of_ my knight in shining armor, but he's totally not the reason I always jump at an invitation for a doctor's visit. I liked making sure I was healthy, and plus free candy. Only reasons, I swear.

He wasn't usually a children's doctor, but I really preferred him to be. I saw the way he acted with the sick kids and it made my heart swell up, he was goofy and sweet and it made me so mad when the adult patients of his got him in trouble for being 'unprofessional' and for 'wasting time' by playing with the children. He really was a good doctor, I admired him so much. I got to know him a little while Wendy was being treated and I honestly couldn't find something I disliked about him. Okay, he wasn't perfect, but pretty damn close. He could be a little absent-minded from time to time. And dense. Like, really_ dense_.

I stood in line at the check-in counter, my palms sweating just at the thought of seeing him again. I needed to relax, there was a chance I wouldn't even see him this time around, I could just get some other doctor. There were probably dozens; the chance of him being the one was slim. I exhaled as my turn came up.

Could I request him? Would that be weird? God I really wanted to see him. How long has it been? Four months? Six? I couldn't keep track anymore.

I signed in, but they didn't tell me who would be coming, so I waited patiently in the examination room. I still hated these beds. I know they were trying to be sanitary and use those little tissue paper sheets on top of the mattress, but really, that made everything so uncomfortable. And I ripped it as soon as I sat down. Oops.

A knock on the door jolted my eyes up to the door, but a tiny female nurse came in with a big smile.

"Hello!" She said, flipping through the massive file in her hand, "You must be Lucy Heartfilia correct?"

I nodded. Please don't tell me you're my nurse. _C'mon lady_.

She sat down on the rolly chair and proceeded to ask me questions, stuff about my medication and previous checkups and sicknesses and things like that. After she was done she stood up and gave another huge smile, "Alrighty, all done here."

Wait, what?

She pressed the red button on the wall by the door and opened it, "Doctor Dragneel will be here momentarily to test your lungs and things like that."

I nodded blankly. _Dragneel! _She meant Natsu Dragneel! _Yes!_

I couldn't help the gigantic grin on my face after she left. Holy shit, I was really going to see him again. Would he look any different? Cuter possibly? No, that was impossible. Wait, did I look cute? I snapped open my purse and checked out my appearance. Okay, I looked fine. Phew.

My palms felt sweaty again. _Okay_, okay, just act normal and _not_ like you want to jump off the bed into his arms.

I heard a knock on the door and my heart stopped. It cracked open and I saw him walk in, grinning at the sight of me.

"Lucy, hey," He said happily, letting the door close behind him. "Good to see you again."

"Hey Natsu," I said just as joyfully, before shaking my head, "Doctor, I mean."

He only smiled, "It's fine. I heard you were here for a check-up so I wanted to take a look at you."

I felt my heart swell up again, "You volunteered?" He nodded at me and sat down, "How sweet of you."

I gave a sheepish laugh; I could feel my cheeks burning. Was I being obvious I had the world's biggest crush on him?

Natsu searched through the drawers and took out his stethoscope and a flashlight. "So how's Wendy?"

He came over and wrote something down in his file before stepping up to me, "She's great actually, very healthy."

He plugged in the earpiece and smiled at that, "That's good to hear."

"Thanks again, for what you did for her." I said softly, looking at him through my eyelashes.

He only shook his head, "When are you ever going to stop thanking me for that?"

I merely shrugged. I opened my mouth to retort something, but all the thoughts in my head flew out as a gasp got caught in my throat. His hand when underneath my shirt, around to the back and I felt the cold metal on the stethoscope in the center. I looked up to him in a daze.

"Sorry, is it cold?" He asked. What'd I say? A _little_ dense.

I nodded silently. Jesus, I could feel his hand on my skin. I felt shivers run down my spine and tried to focus to make them go away.

"Take a deep breath for me." He said quietly.

He was so close. I could feel his warmth emanating from him. I took a shaky breath in and exhaled slowly. He moved the metal further right. "Again?"

I breathed in through my nose and exhaled out. I could feel my shirt riding up more across his wrist. _Try not to faint right here, please?_

He moved it again and I took another deep breath. I gazed up to him hovering over me, his eyes looked glassy down to the floor, listening carefully, I suppose. He pulled away and let my shirt fall back around my waist.

"Your lungs sound good," He commented, clearing his throat. "Have you had any heart problems lately?"

You mean erratic beating? Yeah, they started right when you walked in.

I shook my head, "Nope."

He nodded and I brushed a hair out of my eye. I felt his hand on the top of my breast and I jumped, whipping my eyes up to his.

"Sorry," He said, holding up the stethoscope again, "Can I listen?"

Jesus, Lucy, get a hold of yourself. Did you really think he was coping a feel? My heart sped up just at the thought.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." I laughed it off, "Just cold."

He nodded solemnly and gently pushed aside my shirt around my heart. Good thing I wore a V-neck today, I don't think I could have taken his hand all the way up my shirt without fainting.

I felt the cool metal on top of my skin again and I heard him inhale. I glanced up to him nervously, seeing him smiling about something.

"Your heart's beating really fast." He said softly, staring into my eyes.

I blushed and looked away, "Sorry, just nervous I guess."

"It's alright, just try and calm down for me." He said, giving me a sweet look, "No need to be nervous."

_Plenty of reason, in my opinion._ I felt my heart swell up again.

I closed my eyes and forced my heart rate to slow down. Shut up, shut up, I told my heart.

Slowly, my heart came to a regular beat, and I felt him press down harder. I opened my eyes and mistakenly met his gaze. I felt my heart start pounding again. Like, crazy. It was slamming against my chest, he was just _so_ close and so handsome and I couldn't help it any longer. I saw his eyes widen a touch.

_Oh no_, he knew. He knew it was him making my heart go off like that. I had to look away, but something kept my eyes locked in his. I saw his dark green eyes switch between mine, he stared at me in a way I couldn't figure out. No matter how open with his emotions he was, trying to read what was inside his head was nearly impossible. I saw him swallow.

My gaze fell to his lips, and I didn't know what I was doing until I felt my lips on the corner of his. He immediately stilled, and I could hear his voice get caught in his throat. I let my lips linger, before slowly pulling back, returning my eyes to his again. He looked astonished, yet confused at the same time. I felt his hand fall on my chest.

He leaned forward towards me, his eyes staring at my lips and mine on his. I felt his breath on my skin, on my lips, before a knock on the door jolted him away.

Are you _fucking_ kidding me lady?

Natsu spun on his heel and leaned over the file across the room as the nurse from before peeked her giant stupid smiling face in. She saw him pretending to read a paper and called out to him, "Hey, all done here? We have another appointment coming up."

Natsu nodded quickly, "Yeah, just finishing up here."

I kept my gaze on him and saw him rubbing his hands on his pants. Sweaty palms too?

"How is she? Will she live?" The nurse joked, walking up to me and letting the door close.

Natsu scratched his head, "Yeah, she sounds great. Her lungs and heart seem perfect."

"Great," She commented, pressing her fingertips against the veins in my neck to check my pulse.

I let my eyes drift to Natsu over her shoulder and saw him gazing at me, his eyes glazed over again. He licked his lips and looked away from my stare. God, I wanted to kiss him so badly. I almost had him, I was so close. Would I ever get the chance again? Would I have to wait another six months or something?

"Yep, everything sounds healthy." The nurse confirmed, letting me go. "I think you're ready to be checked out."

I opened my mouth, but closed it. I couldn't exactly say I wanted to stay to kiss the really hot doctor, now could I?

"Have a nice day, Ms. Heartfilia. Natsu I think there's someone here for you to check out." She nodded him towards the door.

He pushed himself off the counter and sauntered towards the door behind her, leaving quietly.

I groaned loudly as the door shut. I shouldn't have done that. I just made everything super awkward now, didn't I?

But he looked like he wanted to kiss me, didn't he? Did I only imagine that? I shook my head of my thoughts and threw on my jacket, dragging my feet towards the check-out counter. I stared at the bowl of lollipops. Sugarfree. Ew.

I took one anyways and stuck it in my mouth, signing the papers to release me and sign up a new appointment. I started down the bleach white hallway and rubbed my temples, trying to rid myself of the really crappy feeling in my chest now.

"Lucy!" I heard someone call.

I turned around and felt my heart jump in my throat. Natsu waved at me, the old, sweet smile back on his face. I tried not to choke on my sucker.

"Can I see you in my office for a second?" He asked casually from down the hall.

Holy shit. _Holy shit. _Was he going to ask to only be my friend or something?

I took the lollipop out of my mouth, "Yeah, sure."

I blushed as people walked by me and tried not to rush by his side. I shyly sucked on my lollipop.

He waited for me and opened up the door, walking inside first. I stepped in hesitantly, looking around the room and stepped out from the door swing. He hadn't said anything since, so I assumed it wasn't good.

I heard the door slam shut beside me and my back against it before I could even switch my eyes to his. I felt him take the lollipop from between my lips and press his in its place, his fingers curling through my hair to bring me closer. I inhaled sharply, I felt a pulsing shiver down my back as he dropped the lollipop on the floor and pressed his hand to the small of my back, bumping my chest into his and deepening the kiss intensely. I twisted my hands into his shirt to keep my legs from giving out. He made me feel absolutely weak in his arms.

Nonetheless, I kissed back. I felt his tongue graze against my lips and I felt this urge to do just the same. I gripped his hair, tugging at his strands and felt him lose his footing for a second, tripping over his feet until I was the one who had him against the wall. I laughed against his lips, pecking them over and over. He grinned at that and I felt his hand drift down my sides. I felt him pull my jacket off my shoulders and fall to the floor. His hands kept moving until he felt my skin beneath the fabric of my skirt. My skin shivered at his touch. He lifted me up until my legs wrapped around his hips, tripping over his feet again towards his desk. He kissed me deeply again and tried to clear his desk before he set me down, but failed miserably. I shrieked a laugh as I sat on a bunch of pencils and groaned of pain.

"Sorry," He laughed, breathlessly.

I panted as well, finally noticing how desperately we both needed a breath of air. He stared at me, breathing in and out, before finally grinning as wide as I've ever seen.

"Your heart's beating really fast." He said quietly.

I nodded solemnly, my cheeks a rosy pink. "You make it like that."

He gave a sheepish laugh, pressing his lips against mine again, "Mine too." He couldn't wipe that grin off his face. "I've wanted to kiss you for a really long time."

I couldn't get rid of mine either. He started kissing me again, but I reluctantly had to pull away.

"I have to go pick up Wendy from school." I said, pouting.

He bit his lip, "Alright. I'll see you again though right?"

I stepped off the desk, my heart still racing. Damn, he should bite his lip more often. _Really_.

"Definitely." I breathed.

I picked up my jacket and purse and let him walk me to the door, opening it up for me. I flattened my hair before I stepped out and felt his hand grab mine. I turned and saw him glancing around me before he pulled me in for a quick kiss, pulling away with that goofy smile he always had.

I let him close the door and leave me dazed in the hallway. Like, _literally_ dazed. I felt my heart soaring up into the sky and so much excitement inside me I couldn't see straight. I swayed down the hallway, using the wall to help balance myself and sighed blissfully.

Yeah, check-ups were _definitely_ the best.

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**And check out my tumblr for quicker updates, I write a lot on there: thethoughtrepository **


	6. The Punch

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**~I accidentally punched you in the face when I was trying to punch a different guy in the face i am so sorry~**

**-Prompt by tea-and-outer-space on Tumblr-**

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**~you're gesticulating violently and accidentally hit me in the face au~ **

**-Prompt by fltzleo on Tumblr-**

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"_Get back here you little shit!_"

_Hoooooly shit_, I was in trouble. I've never seen Gray that pissed before, and I pissed him off daily, no, _hourly_ even. I usually don't ever run from that dickwad, but desperate times call for desperate measures. _And_ it was funny to see him waddle around with his hand on his crotch.

I ran across my college campus, hearing his cries of anger get louder and louder with every hobble he took. I knew at some point doing that prank would bite me in the ass hard, but it was _so_ worth it.

I had set up this trap for him where when he would come back to our door room and open the door, this sequence of events would happen and release an air horn tied to a laundry basket on his head. It went _perfectly_. The basket dropped down right as he walked in and covered his head and let the air horn fly down _right_ into his crotch, _blaring_ out this screech while practically bruising his junk. Dumbass got so scared he screamed and fell right into his desk chair on his head.

Now _that's_ what a degree in engineering gets you.

I know, it seemed a little intense, even for me, but believe me, I had my reasons. He was always getting onto me about finding a girlfriend and all that stuff, and it just annoyed me so much. I could barely talk to any girl without him elbowing me and making fun of me about it, so I got fed up. Why did I need a girlfriend anyways? I didn't realize having one was so mandatory, damn.

I was talking to this super cool girl yesterday, her name was Lucy I think, and Gray just_ totally_ ruined everything. She was really smart, but she was fun to poke at too, so I guess I really liked her reactions. Of course, not counting the one where she got embarrassed to death by Gray swooping in and claiming she was my new girl. He was drunk to be fair, I know he wouldn't do that purposely, but still, he had her running for the hills.

Now I was hightailing out of here before he caught up to me, and I really didn't want to hurt him more than I already did because _damn_, I felt pained by just watching that prank. I ran over to the community building and shoved open the doors, trying to dodge all the people in my way. I heard Gray doing the same right behind me.

I got about halfway through and swerved into the bookcase aisles that opened up into the lounge area. I heard Gray growl of frustration and turned back to laugh at him to his face, before his eyes grew wide.

"And then she just-"

_WHAM!_

Black. It was all black. I felt my feet get knocked out from beneath me and caught air, before I crashed my face right into the tile flooring.

"Oh my God! Oh shit, oh shit!"

Lucy? What was she doing here? And _what the hell just rocketed into my face_?

I heard Gray losing his shit laughing, but I could only groan. _Holy shit that hurt. _I felt a pair of hands on my back and also Lucy, still freaking out about something. Me, I guess. How nice.

I slowly leaned up, my nose throbbing and pulsing like it was about to explode. I blinked heavily, before my sight cleared up to see Lucy kneeling by my side. She grabbed my face and stared at me deeply, "Na...u? Natsu?"

"What the hell?" I mumbled, trying to look around.

I saw a blurry Gray doppled over cracking up, "You just got knocked_ the fuck out man_!"

"I am so sorry Natsu, I didn't mean to punch you like that," She blurted.

She punched me? That hard? Damn.

"I was just talking to Levy and I was showing her something and you ran right into my fist." Lucy explained.

I held my hand up to my nose and groaned of pain. My fingers became sticky suddenly, _oh_. Oh no, I was bleeding? Did she break my nose? What the hell?

I felt my eyes start to sting and Lucy hold my face even tighter.

"Natsu...are you crying?" She asked lowly.

Gray started to wheeze.

"No!" I sniffled, "You hit my eye and it's starting to tear up!"

"I thought I hit your nos-"

"You hit both!" I hissed.

Lucy's lip started to quiver and slowly turned into the saddest pout I had ever seen before. I sighed, regretting snapping at her and saw her look at me through her eyelashes.

"Do you need to go to the nurse? I can take you there..." She drifted off quietly.

I shook my head, offering her a small grin, "You kidding? I didn't even feel it."

I saw her face begin to brighten up again and I felt happy enough to feel a warmth spread through my chest.

"Ar-Are you kidding me?" I heard Gray wheeze out from beside me, still laughing, "You fucking _disappeared_ when she hit you!"

Okay, I had enough of this douchebag. I saw Levy help Lucy up and whipped up right to Gray's ruby red face.

"Oh what? Are you actually able to talk now? Or are you going to scream like a baby again when I blow a horn next to you?" I taunted, hearing his laughter finally die out.

He suddenly looked majorly pissed again and stepped between me and Lucy, digging his finger into my chest, "I aughta kick your ass right now speaking of," He growled.

"You sure you're feeling alright too? You seemed pretty disabled before." I grinned, crossing my arms.

"I dominated your ass before, I think I can do it again," He smirked. God damn it, he always knew _exactly_ how to get under my skin.

And it was _once_. He won _once_.

I felt rage pulse through my veins just at that stupid little smile he had. I glared at him, but his smirk only widened, and before I even realized it I had my arm cocked back, curling my fingers into a fist.

Gray instantly lost his grin as my fist came flying towards his face and _oh. oH OH MY SHIT FUCK!_

"_Lucy!"_

I heard her voice shriek loudly as she smacked right down to the floor, cradling her face.

_How_...how did..?

Gray slowly lifted his head from ducking on the ground, his mouth gaping open. He whipped his head back up to me, and I felt my mouth wide open too.

"You just punched a girl in the face!" He shouted.

Oh _shit_. I did. I really did. I fucking _punched_ a girl in the face. Ad not just any girl,_ Lucy_.

She sat on her knees on the floor, swaying back and forth as her palms held her face and Levy tried consoling her. I heard her grunting of pain and slowly lowered my fist, Levy whipping towards me.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" She yelled.

I didn't know what to say, I couldn't make any words form in my head and come out of my mouth. I dropped by her side, "Lucy I am _so_ sorry."

I saw Gray try to look down on the ground below her face and his mouth made an 'o', a hurting laugh coming from his lips, "Dude she's fucking bleeding." He bit his lip.

I felt my stomach drop.

"Are you okay?" Levy asked, rubbing her arched back.

Lucy nodded faintly in her hands, but she didn't say anything. I breathed out in relief. Levy did the same and stood up to give her room to breath. I felt my palms get sweaty, how could I do this? If Gray didn't screw up how she thought of me before I sure as hell made sure it was terrible now. I hesitantly placed my hand on her back, "Lucy? Are, uh...are you okay?"

She didn't say anything, but she slowly raised her head from the ground, letting her hands fall off her face. She let her piercing eyes sink in mine as she let her another steady stream of blood smear across her face, glaring at me viciously. "Do I look okay?"

I let my mouth hang open. O u c h. Did I really land that good a punch on her?

Lucy let her expression harden even worse towards me and I swear I felt a shiver of fear run through me. I stumbled back on my feet as she raised to her own, stabbing a finger in my chest, "I going to fucking _rip your head off_-"

She reached out for my neck, but I tripped backwards and saw her start to leap for me with murder in her usually really sweet eyes. Gray caught her mid-leap around her waist, holding her back from scratching my eyes out and eating them for dinner.

"Hold on now, he didn't mean too. He was aiming for me," He said calmly, letting her settle in his arms.

"Well he has really shitty aim then," She hissed, pushing herself out from Gray's hold.

She'd seemed to relax after a minute, wiping the back of her hand under her nose to clear up the blood and narrowing her eyes at me. I kept my mouth shut in case I said anything stupid to further worsen her mood towards, but I couldn't help but keep my eyes trained on her. Her nose did look pretty rough, and her skin was stained red from all the blood.

I guess I looked pretty guilty, because next thing I knew she was rolling her eyes and shoving my shoulder hard with a half a smile. "Jackass."

I found myself starting to laugh, first out of relief that she seemed alright, then out of relief that she didn't seem pissed at me anymore. She giggled too lightly, but then I guess we both started laughing really hard at this whole entire thing. I mean c'mon, she freaking _suckerpunched_ me into the ground and in less than two minutes I punched her _right_ back. It was a complete and utter mess.

I stood there staring at her, listening to her laugh and felt something gnaw at my stomach, something enough to make me quiet down.

"You have uh," I pointed to her cheek, forcing back a sympathetic grin, "Some blood."

She brought her hand to her nose, her eyes growing wide and embarrassed. She literally touched everywhere on her face except where I pointed. I finally just stepped forward, wiping away the smear on her cheek with my thumb and saw her blush profusely, but smile anyways.

"You do too," She laughed, tapping the bridge of her nose to show me. I felt the tip of her finger on mine and pull away quickly once looking up to my eyes.

"So are we okay?" I ask, trying to reassure myself.

She smiled, "Hell no."

Oh thank-wait, what-

"I'm gonna get you." She challenged, planting her hands on her hips with a fierce look.

I gave her a skeptical look, but her smile only widened with a wicked twist, "I am _so _going to get you."

"Okay," I said.

She started walking backwards towards Levy, "Better watch your back."

I couldn't help but grin. "Okay."

"_Okay._" She mocked my deep tone and gave me a warning look, before she turned around and strolled beside Levy out of the building.

I still couldn't close my mouth, she was just so..._great_. She was so great.

I felt Gray rest his elbow on my shoulder and sigh, before gazing over to me.

"Damn. You got it _bad_."

I knew he was talking about Lucy and mocking me _again_ about her, but this time I didn't really feel like objecting. I scrunched up my lips in thought, thinking maybe, just maybe, I did.

* * *

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* * *

I didn't expect to see Lucy again until she had her payback all set up for me, but when I kept running into her at all these places and her acting as if it was just another day, I had to admit, it had me on edge. She carried on casual conversations, she didn't bring up what she had in store for me and when I asked about it she merely shrugged as a reply. What the hell did that mean?

She was a psych and communications colleague, I should've suspected she would play mind games like this. It wasn't until I got a text from Gray asking to come and play Frisbee with him that I knew something weird was happening. Like he would ever want to spend time with me on his own free will.

And I should have know that douche would help her plan this out. What a douche.

I went to the college quad, checking my surroundings warily for them both in case one decided to sneak up on me. I saw Gray waving at me over on the lawn and scrunched up my nose.

...Was he being serious? I saw actual people playing Frisbee together on the grass. What the hell?

I walked up to him, actually concerned for his health for once.

"What's going on?" I asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Nice day huh, Natsu?" He said, giving me a friendly smile.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Great man. You?" He looked to me for a legit answer.

I shook my head. He was high or something. "I'm going back to my room."

"Alright. Oh but hey, before you go," He said, and I turned back to him.

"Watch out."

I saw Gray drop straight to the ground with the hugest freaking grin on his face before I felt a shotgun shell smash in the side of my temple.

"gAWH!"

I tumbled to the ground clutching my head, and oh my_ God_ I could feel my head about to _explode_. Oh God, oh god, was I going to die? Who shot me? Was that God's light above me?

"_YEAH_!"

I cracked open my eyes and I saw a bright blue Frisbee laying right next to me. Wait, it was a Frisbee? I saw Gray practically on his knees laughing again, clutching his stomach and choking for a breath.

I stumbled to my feet, my temple throbbing and giving me the hugest headache, and turned to the attacker behind me. All I saw was a blur of blonde, doppled over just like Gray trying to catch a breath.

"Lucy?" I breathed.

She lifted her head up, revealing her pink face and pearly white teeth, even from all the way across the field.

"PAYBACKS A BITCH, HUH?" she screamed, cracking up again.

I shook my head. There was no way she threw it that hard. She planned this all out, had Gray distract me and fucking _nailed _me. If I wasn't so incredibly pumped of payback right now I would be impressed.

I let a wicked grin fall on my lips as I started running towards her. She was still too busy dying to even notice I was coming right at her, but she looked up just in time to run away screaming. I chased her down and caught her in my arms, tackling her down to the grass with her crying laughing.

I couldn't stop laughing either.

"_Natsu!"_

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**Hope you liked it, :) **

**Review?  
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	7. The Plan

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**~we hate each other but our parents are friends and set us up on a date and we're messing with them so they'll lay off tho you're taking this fake dating to extremes and i quite like it but shut up i hate you why is your hand on my knee when they're not around we're just pretending _?~_**

**_._**

**-Prompt by encountcrarchive on Tumblr-**

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"Oh come on Lucy, why even try to fight it anymore? It'd be easier to just give in by now and you know it."

I felt Natsu elbow me in me stomach while I strolled beside him down the sidewalk. The only response I could think to give him was the default roll of my eyes. Every single day. He insisted, no _begged_, after every single school day to come to my house just to take a nap in my bed. _My_ bed. I always told him no, but hell would literally freeze over before he actually listened to a word I said. He always ended up following me home, leaving me to explain to my father _again_ why a boy would constantly come over and disappear into my room with me, and then crash in my bed for a good three hours before I kicked him out.

"Why do you always have to do this? What is this obsession with my bed? Don't you have one?" I asked, glaring at him with my arms crossed.

He merely shrugged beside me, "I like your bed. It's nicer than mine and you let me sleep there."

"I don't let you, you force your way in." I corrected, "And this is third time this week already. My dad keeps getting more suspicious of us, he sends me looks and things. It's weird."

We both turned into my subdivision, home of the rich and the old. Giant mansions with giant gates that surrounded our giant backyards that could be mistaken for a small town.

I waited for a reply from him but it was obvious he was zoned out checking out all of the houses. You would think him walking by these more than four times a week would make him bored, but no, he always seemed fascinated. He followed in right behind as I came into my kitchen, finding my father sitting at the table drinking a coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Hey dad," I greeted, Natsu showing up right beside me with his usual huge grin.

"Hey Jude," He waved.

My father glanced up at the name he used, but only shook his head, "Natsu. What a surprise to see you here."  
My dad usually acted like how you would think a multi-millionaire would, cold and withdrawn with no sense of humor, but he had his moments. He never liked speaking much, but I know deep down he really did care a lot about me and my life. Relationships on the more part. Of course.

"Missed you too," Natsu joked, and I grimaced.

"Lucy I have a meeting here in about an hour," He said, ignoring Natsu, "Go take your boyfriend somewhere very far away from here by then please."

I scoffed loudly, feeling my cheeks burn up, "Dad, he's not my boyfriend! Why do you always say that, I tell you this every day!"

I heard Natsu laughing as he stuffed his face with plate of snacks my maid, Virgo, put out for him. Kind of sad how everyone was used to his appearance.

"Oh right, sorry." He nodded, "You two act so much like a couple I forget sometimes."

I rolled my eyes noticeably as Natsu slung an arm around my shoulders. "We do not."

I've known Natsu for years now and we've been best friends since practically the day we first met. He was goofy and funny and I liked him, it was refreshing to be around someone like that instead of all these other people my dad thought would be a good fit. They were boring, they had no sense of humor and no imagination, and it was exhausting to even try to hold a conversation with them. Natsu made all of that so easy, he was laid-back about everything and I honestly can say he is my most favorite person in the whole world. He was annoying at times, but I guess I've learned to endure his stupidity for the greater good. He always meant well anyways.

"Well, Lucy, speaking of you two," My father started, "Natsu your father had invited me out and wanted me to ask if you two wanted to join?"

My dad and Natsu's were pretty close. They weren't originally though, my mother had saved Natsu's fathers company when it was just about to go under and since then they were like the best of friends. At least, that's what I was told. I didn't know personally, my mother died when I was really little so I only know that my mothers friendship towards Natsu's dad passed on after she died. Natsu's dad was a really nice guy. He likes me a lot, but I think that's only because I remind him of my mother.

My dad usually didn't correspond with the lower classes all that much, but my mom made the exception, and so now I guess he was too. Natsu wasn't rich like me or anything, in fact no one was really as rich as me. Not that I'm bragging or anything, but it's pretty obvious that my dad has earned some major money. It was kind of hard finding friends like that, you never really knew who actually liked you or just liked the things you had.

"Sounds good." Natsu agreed, and I nodded as well.

"Great. It'll be tomorrow night." Jude said, standing up from the table.

"Well, we'll be upstairs I guess." I said.

I already heard Natsu stomping his way up the stairs and I saw my dad give me another sly look. "Keep the door open."

I gave him a disgusted look, turning away from him. "Yeah right."

.

I stood, watching my father hug Igneel, Natsu's dad, after what seemed like months apart. We all met up at some restaurant my dad liked, so of course, it was expensive and very classy. Everyone was all dressed up and stuff, and it was cute, seeing these two goofy guys tug at their suits all night long. It was a rare occasion seeing Natsu wear anything remotely 'nice', so when he did I admired him a lot. He did look really good in a suit.

I liked sitting next to Natsu because he always whispered all these little jokes to me the entire night. Our dads liked to catch up on stuff we never understood, they had inside jokes and talked about people we had no clue on, so we decided to do the same just to pass the time.

I felt Natsu's breath on my ear as he leaned over, "Do you think this 'Debby' person really stole over 100,000 dollars? Sheesh, what a bitch."

I laughed quietly and leaned into his ear, accidentally brushing my lips against his skin, "Sounds like a genius to me."

He grinned at me and shrugged, before we both noticed we were the only ones laughing at the table anymore. Our dads were staring right at us, before looking away and smiling weirdly. Igneel pulled out his phone and groaned of dismay.

"Something happened at the warehouse with your shipment carts," Igneel said, looking at Jude.

They shared strange glances and I rose an eyebrow as my dad sighed heavily, "I guess we should both go check it out. This could cost us a lot of sales."

Both Igneel and my dad stood up at the same time, placing their napkins on the table. What the hell were they doing?

"Wait, you guys are going now?" I asked hurriedly, watching them put on their coats.

"Emergency Lucy, sorry." Igneel apologized, giving me the same grin Natsu always gave me, "You two can finish up together right? No rush for you guys."

Natsu looked skeptical as my dad placed his card on the table, "Here, you can use this. I'll see you later tonight after we deal with this."

I gawked at them as they waved and left the restaurant, leaving me and Natsu alone. All dressed up. _Like a date._

"I can't believe them." I fell back into my seat, "They set this up, the whole thing. From the start."

Natsu sighed. "Yup."

The sad thing was, this _wasn't_ the first time they've done this. I swear, all they ever did when they got together was think of new ways to get me and Natsu together. That's all they ever talked about with us, they teased and poked at us about it all the time, no matter how much we denied it. So yeah, technically this is about our fifth date. That neither of us knew we were on.

"Wanna ditch?" I asked, wiping the condensation from my glass.

"You kidding? Look at all the food they have here," Natsu said, staring at the menu, then picked up my dad's credit card with a wicked grin, "And all the money we can buy it with."

I smiled back at him and shrugged, looking over his shoulder at the menu.

Well, we got whatever we wanted for dinner, so maybe this wasn't such a bust.

"I so tired of them, I wish they would just back off already." I sighed, swirling my drink.

"Hm," Natsu nodded, "We need a plan. To get them off our backs already."

"Like what? Fake our deaths?" I said sarcastically, "Pretty sure that's the only way they'll stop."

He nodded in agreement, his mouth busy chewing, before he raised his eyebrows to me. "Or..."

"We could give them what they want."

I looked to him skeptically.

"Like date?" I asked, giving him a look.

He shrugged, "Yeah. Around them at least, just pretend. They'll be happy, lay off us, and then we'll be happy. Everyone wins."

I thought about his idea for a moment, feeling my stomach churn at the thought of the 'pretending' we might have to perform. I shook that thought away and pondered about the outcome, maybe then my dad wouldn't always keep teasing and calling us two out when we did anything remotely physical. I saw a bright future ahead.

"Yeah," I bit my lip, smiling, "That might work."

He grinned back at me, flashing me a mischievous look and stared deeply into my eyes. "Alright then. It's settled."

* * *

"Do we announce it or something?" I whispered lowly, glancing back to Natsu behind me in my living room. I looked back to my dad back in the kitchen, reading his newspaper like always and heard a bored sigh from behind me.

"Nah. Let's just get 'caught'. Seems more likely that way." He said, leaning over my shoulder to look at my dad as well.

I nodded suggestively, feeling my stomach doing somersaults inside me. We had no plan as to how we would pull this off, but Natsu seemed confident enough to wave it off as something casual, so I guess I just had to trust him.

"Let's just wait here 'till he gets up." He said, leaning against the wall.

I breathed out a shaky breath, falling against the wall next to him. He looked over, laughing a bit at me. "Why are you so nervous?"

I swallowed. Maybe because we actually have to be all touchy-feely, kissing, boyfriend girlfriend when we're only friends? And it's sort of weird? I mean, yeah, Natsu was cute and all and I loved him, but despite all of the whole 'you two would be great together' lines constantly thrown in my face, I never really considered it. I've never had a boyfriend before and so I was nervous. It was natural. I only love him as a friend, that's all he's ever been anyways.

"I don't know," I exhaled, trying to calm myself. "Just hoping this will work."

I saw him walk around until he faced me, and give me his little grin again, "It'll work. Don't be nervous."

I couldn't help but smile back at him. He always knew what to say, even if it was something as simple as that. He kept his dark green eyes thriving in mine, and I didn't know if I was being soothed or if I was acting up even more inside.

A screech of the chair against the tile snapped my eyes away from his and I felt my heart in my throat. My fathers footsteps were headed this way from the kitchen, and I almost felt sick. I looked towards Natsu staring at the path my dad would walk down, and whispered his name. Oh God, _he was coming._

Jude strolled into the living room and I tugged at the end of Natsu's shirt eagerly with my voice low, "Natsu! He's-"

The words were trapped against my mouth as Natsu pulled my lips onto his, weaving his hands through my hair and bumping my chest into his. I felt the world fade in and out. I exhaled sharply into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, pressing me up against the wall and kissing my bottom lip gently, pressing it in between his.

"_Oh._"

Natsu immediately let go at the sound of my father, leaving me as winded as someone who was just punched in the gut. I felt my stomach swarming with heat and my mind in a daze, and heard my father clear his throat.

Natsu looked embarrassed, faking it of course and gave a little smile, "Mister uh, Jude. Hey?"

My dad switched his eyes between the both of us, looking bewildered, "Hey..?"

"We were just, uh..." I drifted off, flattening my hair.

"Sorry to interrupt. I didn't realize you two had..." He let his words die out, "Gone this far."

"Yeah, I guess it kind of just happened one day, you know?" Natsu said, scratching the back of his head.

My father nodded. "Right, well, I'll leave you two then. I'm glad to see you two finally work things out."

I blew up my bright pink cheeks, smiling sweetly as he left us two again and sighed loudly when he was gone. _Holy shit._

Natsu turned to me, grinning smugly, "Went well, huh?"

I nodded, still barely able to comprehend words, "Yah."

He dug his hands in his pockets, that little grin of his never leaving his face, "Guess we just have to keep this up then."

I couldn't help but smile back. Maybe this would actually be a little...fun?

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**I split this one up into parts, it'll be out soon :) Review?**


	8. The Plan (2)

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**~we hate each other but our parents are friends and set us up on a date and we're messing with them so they'll lay off tho you're taking this fake dating to extremes and i quite like it but shut up i hate you why is your hand on my knee when they're not around we're just pretending _?~_**

**_._**

**-Prompt by encountcrarchive on Tumblr-**

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**Part 2**

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"Well would you look at that, never thought I'd see the day."

Igneel chuckled boisterously as he sat atop a desk, shaking his head. I couldn't help but smile back, feeling my cheeks heat up. I stood next to Natsu, holding his arm in my hand and tapped the floor with the tip of my toe. Well, we finally showed both our parents, and I think it's safe to say that our plan was working greatly. I've never seen Igneel grin that big except for when he comes to visit me and Jude for holidays.

He hopped of the table and strolled up to us, "This _is_ real, isn't it? You're not just messing me with here?"

I blew up my cheeks and Natsu scoffed, shaking his head. I felt his hand on my waist as he pulled me into his side and held me, "C'mon dad, you've seen us together for years. This was bound to happen eventually right?"

I felt my stomach twirl around again, leaning against him more willingly as Igneel raised an eyebrow. I couldn't be acting all uncomfortable around him I guess if we were to pull this off. I gave Igneel a big smile and buried my cheek onto his chest.

"I guess," He sighed, nodding approvingly.

"With of course all that insistent pushing you guys did." I added, looking at him skeptically.

I felt Natsu pinch me and shoved down a noise in my throat.

"We only gave a little shove in the right direction," Igneel shrugged, "And it seems it payed off anyways, so maybe a 'thank you' might be in order?"

I smiled through gritted teeth. "Thank you."

"Mmhm." Natsu hummed with fake enthusiasm.

"Alright, well I have to get back to work. You guys can hang around I guess, but there's not much to do here."

Igneel referenced to his warehouse that we came to visit him in and waved to us as he headed back to his office. I felt Natsu turn me towards him and wrap both his arms around around my waist, giving me a sweet smile. "Did you really need to bring that up?"

His tone didn't match his body language, but I saw Igneel moving around in his office through glass windows. Shit, he could still see us.

I hung my hand in the collar of Natsu's shirt, smiling widely back, "Sorry. That stupid smile he gave pissed me off."

Natsu pressed me closer, "You screw this up and you owe me two full weeks of your bed without complaining."

"Fine." I agreed, because let's be real, if either one of us were to mess this up, it'd be…me. _Me_. Oh shit, wait no-

"Deal."

I huffed, rolling my eyes. Maybe it can be motivation to not screw everything up.

Natsu smiled at that and leaned down to my lips, and I held my breath. He hesitated at the last second, glancing up to my eyes, before kissing me softly. I felt his arms tighten around me, as if he knew I was about to melt into a puddle right here and now.

Was Igneel even looking? Or was he just really in character? I didn't really care right now to be honest anyways.

Okay, okay, I'll admit it. Natsu _was_ a really good kisser. I don't know where he got it from or if it's some natural talent he was born with, but I could barely keep my knees from giving out every time he kissed me. It was kind of ridiculous really.

I kissed him back, leaning up on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck. I deepened it anxiously, gently grazing my teeth off of his bottom lip and pressing it in between mine. I let go, switching my eyes over his shoulder to Igneel smiling down a clipboard he pretended to be reading.

I guess we can check him off now.

"Let's go get ice cream," Natsu said, sighing blissfully. He led me back towards the doors with his arm around my shoulders, and a certain look on his face I couldn't read.

* * *

**~One Month Later~**

* * *

I felt the column of my bed post digging into the spine of my back, my legs wrapped around Natsu's hips and the warmth of his hands on my thighs. His hand rode up my skirt as he tried grasping me more securely, kissing me deeply on the lips. I could feel his tongue graze against mine and his teeth nip my bottom lip, making me struggle to keep down the moan coming up my throat.

I pulled away from his lips to catch a breath and immediately felt him kiss my cheek and move down slowly towards my jaw, and down to my neck. I felt his tongue against the column of my neck and exhaled shakily, biting down on my lip.

"You know," I struggled to process my words, "I don't even think he's upstairs. He was in his office when we walked by, remember?"

Natsu moved to the other side of my neck, and I could feel him grin against my skin as he looked up to me with mischievous eyes, "Hey, he could walk up here any minute to come check on us. Don't worry."

He returned to kissing my neck and I let out a relieved laugh, twirling his hair through my fingers, "Okay."

We've managed to keep this whole thing up for a little over a month now, and to say that Natsu liked to take it to extremes was putting it modestly. He insisted on kissing me every chance given, he acted more intimately with the whole hugging and pecking things, and our parents couldn't seem any happier for us. And _yes_, I haven't screwed it all up yet.

I can't say that I don't like the amount of enthusiasm Natsu puts into this plan, I actually _really_ did. Sometimes I get the feeling that we end up kissing just because we like kissing each other. Was that weird? I mean, we were still friends of course, but given our situation, that could count as normal right?

I shook away the thoughts. I guess a little something I picked up from Natsu as well.

I felt Natsu lift me up by my thighs again and drop me down on my bed, crawling on top of me as I started to laugh. He grinned as well and silenced me with his lips, letting me wrap my arms around his neck again to deepen it. I felt his hand on the small of my back, under my shirt and pull me up on the bed more, until my head hit the pillows.

I pressed my foot on the inside of his ankle and flipped him over, pinning his arms with my hands and started laughing. I tossed my hair over my shoulder and leaned down to his lips, hovering just above his and breathed out. I glanced up and saw him staring into my eyes with a light that nearly made me laugh again.

Natsu was just about to lean up to me as the door cracked open and my dad walked in. We both froze in our places as he rose an eyebrow, and I quickly fell to the side off of him.

"Daddy, hey," I smiled sweetly, feeling Natsu sit up.

"Hey." He said, giving a fake smile back. "You have school tomorrow and I need you to go in a little early. Just wanted you to get some sleep."

"Okay, I will." I nodded.

"And Natsu, isn't it getting late?" He asked next, looking to him expectantly.

"Actually dad, Igneel is out of town for a few days, so I was thinking he could stay here instead of being home alone for that long." I said, drifting off with hope in my eyes.

Jude stared skeptically at us both, before sighing and rolling his eyes. I'm assuming he remembered that Natsu was still technically underage. "Whatever."

I gave him a big grin, "Thanks dad!"

Jude hummed and grabbed the knob to my door, "The door stays open though. And he sleeps on the floor."

"I'll make sure of it." I assured, hearing Natsu sigh next to me.

"Goodnight then."

With that my dad left down the hallway, and I sighed out letting my head fall down next to his on the pillow. I inched closer and pressed my lips to his jawbone, before he turned to look at me with a knowing look. I leaned forward and bit down on his skin and laughed as he jabbed my sides harshly. I pouted at him and turned over, letting my eyes fall closed.

"Get off my bed."

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"Okay, I have How to Train My Dragon and Wanted, pick one."

"Go home Natsu."

I tried shutting the door in his face, but his shoe shoved its way in between the door and the wall. I stepped on his toes, "Get out Natsu!"

"Lucy come on, please?" He begged, giving me big sad eyes. "You're the only one I know with a home theater, I can't pass this up."

I groaned loudly and whipped the door open, shoving him into my house with defeat. "I hate you."

He grinned smugly as he passed me by, "No you don't."

Natsu made himself at home of course and headed straight back to my theater room, and _yes_, I did have a home theater. He jumped onto the couch and I guess I succumbed to him. As usual. We decided on How to Train Your Dragon, which he's already seen a dozen times, but he really did love dragons a lot. It was kind weird actually, but he got all dorky and excited anytime they're brought up, so it was cute seeing him stare at the screen for two hours without blinking.

We both watched the credits roll on the giant screen and I felt him yawn against my shoulder, resting his temple against me and sighing. He blinked for the first time since he showed up and looked around to the entrance of the room. I noticed just then the feeling of his hand on the inside of my knee, his fingers grazing against my skin mindlessly back and forth. I stared at him out of the corner of my eye, confused. It was obvious no one was around, why was he all touchy feely? Wait, were we like this the whole movie?

"Where is everyone?"

Okay, maybe not that obvious.

I flipped the channels on my TV, "My dad's on a business trip. He won't be back for a few days."

"And Virgo and the others?" He asked.

"I let them go home early. Nothing to do here anyways when Jude isn't here." I said, looking to him with a look, "Why?"

I saw a sly little grin fall on his lips and felt my stomach gnaw in turmoil. Oh God, what was he planning? And where is he going?

Natsu disappeared out of the room laughing and came back a moment later, holding up two bottles of alcohol I'm guessing he took from my fathers liquor cabinet.

"Care for a drink?" He grinned, slumping down next to me and dropping a bottle into my lap.

"Put it back," I rolled my eyes, shoving the bottle in his chest.

He turned towards me and rested his arm on the back of the couch, giving me a smile, "Come on Lucy, live a little."

He shook the bottle in my face, but I guess I still looked skeptical.

"He won't be home for days, you'll be fine." He insisted.

He did have a point, if I were to have a hangover, now would be the best time since I could take a few days to clear my system up. I sighed and snatched the bottle from his hand, opening it up. "Don't spill it anywhere, the maids can't know either."

His grin grew twice it's size as I took a sip, cringing at the bitter taste. A few moments later (or hours, I couldn't really tell) we both seemed pretty tipsy, laughing at something that wasn't even funny on the couch together.

"Let's play a game," I bit my lip, trying desperately to not burst out cracking up again.

Natsu took another sip of the bottle, the bottom of the glass just barely filled with the bronze liquid. "Alright. What game?"

I scrunched up my nose, trying to remember the game I _literally_ just forgot and started giggling again, letting my head fall to the back of the couch. "Uhmm…okay let's scratch the game. Let's tell secrets."

Natsu scoffed, rolling his eyes, "We're not at a middle school sleepover Lucy."

I nudged him with my foot, "Come on, it'll be fun! I'll even go first."

He looked bored, "I already know everything about you."

I pouted, "Not everything."

He gave a drunken smile, "Try me."

"Okay!" I sat up to face him, moving myself right into his face so that we could both focus properly.

"Did you know that I'm actually not supposed to be a senior? I'm actually a-"

"Junior, I know. Because your birthday is right at the applications for school and you got in a year earlier than others."

I let my mouth drop at him, giving him a look, "Fine. Then did you know that I almost got a tattoo? I started having someone do the needle thing but then-"

"You stopped at the last second with only a little black line, I know." He nodded again, finishing off the bottle with a laugh. "It's on your thigh, I've seen it."

I groaned of frustration at him, why did he know all this stuff? Geez, were we really this close that we have no secrets to tell anymore?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to look in the deep depths of my brain for something that he couldn't _possibly_ know. "Did you know that…"

I opened my eyes up wide with a huge grin, "Me and Cana kissed once?"

Natsu snorted out the booze from his lips, holding up the bottle as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "_What?"_

"Like full on make out." I nodded, feeling super accomplished that I finally got a secret.

"When?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at me.

"At one of her parties, that one where I tried to outdrink her. You know me when I get too drunk, I get all affectionate and one thing led to another…" I drifted off, blowing up my cheeks embarrassingly.

"Wow, I didn't know that." He did the same, grinning loudly.

"Your turn, go." I said eagerly, scooting closer to him. My knees bumped against his leg and I rested my cheek on my arm laying next to his.

"I don't have any secrets." He said, shrugging.

I shoved his shoulder, "No one just has no secrets, tell me."

"You already know everything!" He insisted, but I could see in his eyes he was hiding something. He looked away from mine and fiddled with the bottle in his lap. He was always pretty bad at keeping secrets.

I wrapped my hand in his shirt, swaying him back and forth so that he finally looked up to me, "Natsu. Tell me. Now."

He gave half a smile and took another swig, swallowing slowly. "Alright."

"Alright?" I said, a grin growing on my face.

He nodded reluctantly, taking another long sip of booze and cringing visibly. He grimaced, looking at me with a look I didn't usually like to see. "Well, you know about a month ago, when we started this whole fake dating plan?"

I looked to him carefully, arching an eyebrow, "Yeah..?"

He scrunched up his lips, giving me big, guilty eyes. "I sort of…planned that out. With our parents."

I felt the entire night screech to a stop. No, not the night, the entire _month_ screech to a stop. My lips parted at that, staring at him as blankly as my mind.

Did…he..wait, he planned this out? With our parents? Like they worked together to get me and him to do this whole dating thing? What?

"What?" I blurted.

He bit his lip, his voice lowering to a whisper, "I got our parents to help me think of a way to start dating you."

My mouth fell to an 'o'. He wanted to…date me? Like, actually date me? Why, because he liked me? Like legitimately liked me? So all of those times we were together in front of my dad, while I was just pretending, he was…serious? It was really him wanting to hold me at very second and kiss me every chance given? It was just a big excuse?

"You…" I was still speechless, my hand slowly letting go of his shirt.

"I like you." He said, giving me that stupid, innocent look.

I tried to shove away the stupid swarming feeling of butterflies in my stomach and felt the other swarm of betrayal come from beneath it.

"I don't like being lied to Natsu," I said softly, arching my eyebrows at him.

He scooted closer to me, placing a hand on my knee and quickly opened his mouth, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to make you sad, I just thought…"

"What? That you could use this as an excuse to kiss me whenever you wanted?" I said, a bit more harshly than I intended too, "Why didn't you just ask me out?"

He scrunched up his forehead in thought again, "This way seemed like a safer plan to see if we were on the same page, I just didn't want to screw anything up. And I wasn't even completely sure if I was on that page, so I wanted to test it out just to see what it felt like."

I sighed, pressing the palm of my hand into my temple, "You could have just talked to me Natsu."

I saw his mouth open again, but nothing come out for a moment. "I was scared."

I felt a pit of sympathy for him and his thumb start to trace over my knee again. I knew what he did wasn't right, and it was obvious he knew as well, but it still didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was just his fear making him do stupid things, I couldn't blame him fully.

"I'm sorry."

He sounded genuine. Well, of course he would. This was Natsu, he wasn't some douchebag who just said things to girls to make them not mad at them anymore. I knew for a fact there was nothing he hated more than seeing me upset, which always left a warm little tingle in my stomach.

I looked up to him, showing him the pout on my lips. "Don't lie to me again. I'm serious."

I saw him smile crookedly, "I promise."

"I'll shave your head if you do."

His grin widened, "Fair enough."

His thumb ran across my knee again and I saw him glance down to my lips; I held my breath. He was hesitant to lean forward, and I was hesitant to let him any closer. Should I let this happen? A part of me wanted to let him kiss me, but another said I shouldn't just let him off like this.

Before I could decide I felt his breath on my lips, and gently place them on mine. He pulled away a moment later, looking back up to me for a reaction. I didn't kiss him back, but something spread through me from that, just knowing that that was something he genuinely wanted to do.

He genuinely loved me.

I felt a smile crawl on my lips. He looked like a guilty puppy afraid of being sent outside. He started to smile too after me.

"You're an idiot."

I saw him struggle to keep his smile any smaller, he looked relieved and hopeful. "Are we okay?"

I reached out and held onto his shirt, something I always found myself doing whenever I couldn't think of anything more intimate to do, and nodded. "Yeah."

His face split into a grin and I saw him lean forward again, but instead he wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me into him for a hug. I laughed as he buried his cheek on my chest and knocked us both over on the couch. I felt him yawn against me and assumed he was going to fall asleep on me like this, so I stayed in place. He pulled me in closer as I brushed my fingers through his hair, smiling as he sighed.

This was probably the closest I've felt with him since we've met.

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"L…! Miss Lucy!"

I groaned. Jesus, what brick did I smash my head on? My veins throbbed and pulsed inside my brain, and my mouth tasted stale of alcohol.

Oh right, alcohol.

I cracked open my eyes and saw my maid Virgo, looming over me with her jaw slack.

"What?" I breathed.

"Did you go through your father's liquor cabinet?" She whispered, bewildered.

Ohhhh…shit.

I glanced around the theater room and saw Natsu, still asleep on my chest and empty bottles of booze lying on the ground. I finally woke up for real and shoved on Natsu's shoulder, "Hey, wake up!"

He groaned and loosened his hold on me, gazing up to Virgo staring at us.

"Virgo. Hey." He cringed at the taste in his mouth, leaning up off of me.

"Please don't tell dad," I pleaded.

"She doesn't have too," I heard a deep voice say.

I whipped my head towards the door and saw my father, standing there with his arms crossed and a clear frown underneath his mustache. Wasn't he supposed to be on a business trip? How long were we knocked out?

Natsu let out a long sigh, holding up a hand to wave at him, "Hey Jude."

He narrowed his eyes at the teen.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

He sighed and strolled in further, "Canceled the trip. Decided against the deal."

"Now you tell me," He said, switching his eyes between the both of us. "What in the _hell_ you two were thinking."

"My fault, I'm the one who brought it all out." Natsu said.

"Yeah it was his fault." I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

I felt him pinch me and laughed, and saw my father roll his eyes.

"Oh right, I didn't tell you," Natsu spoke up before my dad could, grinning as he rested his chin on my shoulder, "We're dating now."

Jude looked unamused at us both, "You've been dating for months now."

"I mean _really_ dating dad, you know, instead of the fake dating you and Igneel helped Natsu put together to try and trick me into really dating him?" I said, my tone sickly sweet.

My father fell silent, looking at me with guilt, then at Natsu with narrowed eyes. He composed himself and held his head high, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I saw him turn around towards the door and hummed. "Of course you don't."

He stopped to turn down the hallway, "Clean this room up."

With that he left, forgetting all about the drinks that Virgo was currently trying to pick up. I fell back on my side and sighed heavily, feeling an arm wrap around my back again. I felt Natsu wrap his other arm around me and laughed as he pulled me on top of him, letting my lips fall down on his. His hand went to my hair, asking me to deepen the kiss and I complied, grinning against his lips.

I felt a smack on my shoulder that snapped me away from him, "Get up and help me!"

Virgo smacked me again until we both fell off the couch, crashing onto the floor shrieking.

"We were having a moment," Natsu hissed.

Virgo bore her eyes into ours, holding up a bag full of bottles and trash, "I'm sure you had a lot of _nice_ moments together. You're not the one washing the lipstick off the clothes you leave here. Now _get up and help me_."

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**Now this is the end, like it? **


	9. Siren

**~Pirate AU~**

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My stomach lurched. I felt the splinters in my feet dig into my skin and break off into shards with every stumble I took, my body being shoved and pushed with a mass of men into a cage. I grasped the wall as soon as the crowd thinned out, trying to swallow the dry-heaves that threatened to rush up my throat. I felt dizzy; the ship was swaying too dangerously for anyone to keep on their feet, and the wounds I'd gathered from before burned like fire from the salt water rushing into them.

How did I end up here? How did it all come to this? I was once a heiress to one of Fiore's most expensive companies, and now I'm a prisoner on an illegal cargo ship. I was a slave, beaten and ridiculed like a _dog_. I felt tears sting my eyes. I wanted to go home, to go back to my bed and my father, even if he was the one who drove me out.

The ship hit a huge wave and I fell to the ground, crying out as other burly men smashed into me as well. I heard screams and shouts up on deck, probably from the sailors trying to keep the ship in one piece. I could only lay there.

"Are you okay?"

I heard tapping on the metal bars, and saw the owner of the voice. He looked sympathetic, yet he held a sword in his hand and a gun in his holster. He was one of them. My jaw slackened in disbelief.

"_No_," I scoffed, pushing myself up against the grimy wall.

Pretty stupid question, don't you think?

He let his mouth fall shut, looking up to me with his voice small, "I'm sorry this is happening to you."

I refused to talk to him.

He seemed to notice, and sat down in front of the bars. He kept quiet with me and I felt his eyes towards my way.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Let me out." I snapped, and he looked startled, but then guilty.

"I can't. I'm sorry, they'll kill me and a lot of other people if I do." He said.

"What people?" I asked, skeptically.

"My family. Friends." He answered, and I looked up to him. He gave a weak smile at me, "It's complicated, but don't worry. After all of this I'm gonna kick each and every one of their asses. I just need this part of the plan to work."

He had a plan? Then he wasn't really one of them, he was like me? Why did they trust him with weapons then?

My interest peaked and I moved closer, sitting in front of him on the other sides of the bars. He stared at me like I was mesmerizing and grinned a bit, showing his crooked smile.

"I'm Natsu." He introduced.

"Lucy," I said back, softly.

He glanced down at me, looking at my muddy, ripped dress. "Looks expensive."

I nodded weakly, my heart suddenly growing heavier, "I used to be pretty well off."

He didn't say anything after, I'm assuming he noticed it was a sore subject. I respected him for leaving it at that, the last thing I needed was getting emotional over something I couldn't change.

I rested my back against the bars, and I saw Natsu turn to face me. He kept quiet for a moment, but his lips parted in an attempt to say something.

"I can take you with me," He whispered.

I looked at him quickly, his eyes wide and full of confidence. He grinned slightly and nodded, "Once we reach Crocus, I can take you with me."

I wrapped my hands around the bars, looking at him desperately for the truth. He looked at me with genuine truth, and I felt my eyes start to sting again. I smiled, for the first time in months.

"Yeah." I breathed.

He nodded at me, smiling crookedly, "Good."

.

I wanted to jump in joy. I wanted to cry and laugh and scream all at once. _I was going to be saved!_My face split into a grin, and he was happy enough to do the same.

A door slammed against a wall, and loads of men spilled in, soaked to the bone and covered in grime. A single man came up as Natsu jumped to his feet, his voice loud and scratchy, "Hey! Get all the slaves up to deck! We need help up here!"

The other men threw open the doors and shoved the prisoners out, forcing them up the staircase. I rose to my feet and went back to the corner, hoping for the tiniest chance that they might not see me.

I saw Natsu keep his eyes on me as he ushered the men up the stairs quietly. I felt someone snag my arm suddenly and shrieked.

"You too, get up there!" The man spat, digging his long nails into my skin.

He dragged me in his hold up the stairs, Natsu hot on his feet once he spotted me and threw me on the deck. The ship rocked back and forth dangerously as the waves and rain crashed upon me. I felt like I was drowning just being out here. The man tugged me up to my feet and brought me further along, until another sailor manning the sails stopped us both.

"We need all the strength we can get here, what the hell are you doing with a woman! She's just dead weight!" He yelled above the roaring sea.

I shoved my way out from the man's hold and felt rage pulse through me. Another two sailors snatched my arms and held me back, glaring at the man.

"Throw her overboard, do with all the women!"

I felt a shiver of pure, frozen fear run through me. "_No!_" I shrieked, thrashing around.

I couldn't survive, no one could survive a storm like this. The waves were easily over 20 feet tall, and I wasn't even a good swimmer._ I was going to die._

The two men picked me up, and I thrashed and wreathed and screamed, but nothing helped. The threw me against the side of the boat, and I heard yelling from by the lower deck entrance.

"_LET HER GO!_"

Nearly three men had Natsu in a tackled hold, his entire body on the ground.

I had no time to say anything. I was hoisted up my by waist on the edge, my feet teetering and body swaying. I saw him finally stop fighting against the men, he was frozen as I caught his eyes in mine.

And it was when I breathed, that I fell.

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My body whipped around the waves, bending, breaking, frozen to the touch. Water shot up my nose and down my mouth, filling up my lungs till the tops. My head felt as if it were to explode, and my eyes like they had knives piercing them. It felt like the world was on my chest, it hurt to try and breathe. _Everything hurt so much_.

It was calm. I felt myself sink, deeper and deeper, the light draining from the sky above me. The world fazed in and out, the darkness surrounding me like a blanket. I was dying.

Before the world shut out and my eyes finally closed, I saw a large tail swim past me, and a pair of hands grasp my arms, pulling me further down into the abyss.

It wasn't until my eyes opened again, that I knew something unimaginable must have happened. I laid on a rock, my eyes swirled and dizzied, and my chest still heavy. I didn't see the sun. It was dark and clouded, and cold and it was just then that I realized I wasn't on land.

I was in the ocean.

A tail whipped by me, and dozens more, before I saw the creatures that held them. It was truly unimaginable.

Mermaids.

I had heard the tales but I never thought they could be real. Dozens of them surrounded me, long colored hair, pretty faces, but vicious looking fins and teeth. I looked down and realized, once I tried to stand up that I couldn't.

_My feet were replaced with a tail._

Was this how I survived? No, I didn't survive, I died. There was no doubt, but there was also no doubt that I was born again.

_Just like the legend_. All women who died on the ocean were captured and transformed into these creatures, swearing revenge on those who killed them. They were magical and beings never to be trifled with.

I tried to speak, but I couldn't. Was my voice gone? Did I have no vocal cords anymore?

"You wish for revenge?"

The voice echoed in my mind as a mermaid swam up to me, dark scales covering her face.

I thought of the men who deemed me useless, a similar rage pulsing through me again.

_Yes_, I thought. She seemed to have heard me.

Before I realized it we were swimming through the waters, faster than any boat or creature I've seen before. I didn't know how many of them followed behind me as I lead them to the boat. The waves seemed to have settled around it, and the men above looked at peace.

It wasn't until I heard a scream, that I knew just what I had gotten into. Stalks of sea-life shot from the mermaids power, crashing through the wood and shredding the sails. I saw others jump across the ship, clawing the men across their way and dragging them down into the waters.

Minutes passed, and the entire boat was…destroyed. Dead bodies lay bleeding in the water attracting hungry creatures, and others who survived were crying out. I felt guilt for the innocent men caught in the crossfire.

My heart felt a sharp pang then.

_Natsu._

I felt sick. Was he killed? Did I kill him? I never saw him, not once. I swam around the debris of the ship, looking desperately for him. I shoved aside planks of wood and froze in my spot. I saw him.

He was laying face down on a skinny piece of debris, unmoving. I swum over, my fingers shaking from fear. Out of all the people who should've died tonight, he was the last. I gently raised his head up from the water, searching for any signs of breathing. Water spilled from his lips and he started coughing rashly, his breaths ragged and painful. His eyes opened and widened at me, before they were forced shut from the salt.

"It'll be okay."

I know he heard it in his mind, but I wanted to say it again. With my voice. I wanted him to be okay, even if I didn't know him. He was a kind soul, I knew, and maybe, in a different life, we could of made something of each other.

But I was dead. I was killed. And while I saved him, bringing him back to shore, I realized that maybe this was supposed to happen. He wanted to save me, but he couldn't. That was more than I had ever had in my life. So I saved him instead, so that maybe, just maybe, he could have the chance to save another person out there.

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**Review?**


	10. Surprise

**Surprise**

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When I walked into my dorm room at the end of the day, dragging my feet, defeated, and honestly just stressed the fuck out, I knew I should have expected some weird event to be happening, given my roommate, but this one I can say had me taken by surprise. I had my book bag weighing me down to hell because little miss bookworm Levy decided to tutor me for finals and she literally gave me every single book she owned on the history of the world. So, needless to say, it was heavy. My back was killing and I honestly just wanted to lay in a pool of junk food and play video games until I passed out.

So when I opened that door, I nearly burst out laughing and/or crying. I should have known my day would be far from over. Cute.

I got half a step in before my eyes fell deeply into a pair of hazel ones, and my legs refused to continue on like a robot who needed an oil fix. I glanced away from her face and let my gaze travel down her body, her skin fair and smooth...and bare.

She was _completely_ naked.

She was laid out on a thin bed sheet, resting on her side with her cheek in her palm, and her expression bored. She had blonde locks, curled at the very ends that draped over her shoulders, and a few, stray strands that fell over her eyes as if she had just woken up from a mid-day nap. Her lips were painted a scarlet red and her eyes smudged in an intimidating liner. Her body was great, amazing in fact, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

I saw her eyes widen at the side of me and her lips part as if she were about to say something, but no words ever left her mouth. It seemed like she couldn't look away from me either, although I doubt we had the same reason as to why. She immediately sat up and snatched a blanket from a chair next to her and covered herself, though the small cloth of a thing didn't do much justice for her.

I couldn't tell if my jaw was hanging wide open, but I had a good feeling it was. I couldn't push any words out of my mouth, it was like it was all caught down in my throat. What would I even say first? 'I'm sorry?' But this was my room? 'Who are you? Why are you naked? You're really pretty?'

No. Don't tell her that, no.

That would make everything worse and I already felt guilty as it is. She actually looked sort of scared in a way, like I would do something bad to her. She clutched her blanket pretty tightly, but I could still see her trying to push away the fear and keep her head high.

"Hi." I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

She didn't say anything, but I'm guessing she could tell how fidgety I was. Can you really blame me? My hands were sweaty, my stomach was knotting up, and my mind was grinding its gears to function at a sixth grade level.

Just then my roommate walked out of the bathroom, carrying her bag of chalk.

"Oh Natsu, hey. Didn't think you'd be here tonight." she said casually, sitting down in a chair and picking up her sketchbook from her art studio set-up that I honestly just noticed.

"_Erza._" The girl whispered, looking back and forth between me and her.

"Oh-close the door Natsu, whats the matter with you?" Erza admonished, waving a hand at me.

What's the matter with me? I wasn't the one having naked girls in _our_ room without telling the other, and you know what, now that I think that out loud in my head I kind of just realized how sad that sounded.

I closed the door behind me, stepping in the room a little more towards Erza.

"What's happening here?" I finally asked.

"Art project." Erza answered happily, "Lucy here let me sketch her so that I could get my full 4.0 GPA. She's the most amazing person in the whole world and I love her."

Lucy, I'm assuming, only rolled her eyes with a smile.

"By the way, have you two met before? Lucy this is my roommate Natsu." Erza introduced, nodding towards me.

I felt her eyes on my again and I felt my brain processes slow down again.

"I didn't know you had a roommate," She said, her tone low. "And that he was a _boy_."

"Didn't I tell you?" Erza asked, scrunching up her nose down to her sketchbook. "Me and Natsu have been friends forever, he's an idiot but he's fine with stuff like this."

Lucy looked confused by her statement and a little uncomfortable, and I could only sigh at her choice of words before she looked over to me.

I shuffled on my feet, giving her a sheepish smile, "You're not the only she's manipulated into posing naked for her art class."

Lucy looked pleasantly surprised, but Erza only scoffed, "It wasn't like I'd never seen you naked before."

I internally sighed at her. Could she maybe _not_ do this in front of a way out of my league naked girl that I haven't really met yet?

"We used to bathe together as children, he's seen me naked too." She shrugged, and I heard a laugh come from Lucy.

"Can you stop bringing that up all the time?" I huffed, dropping my bag next to my bed.

"Whatever, quit distracting me. I need to do three more poses by tomorrow. Go play video games or something," She said, getting her utensils ready.

"Wait, he's going to stay?" Lucy asked, drilling her eyes into Erza's, then to mine.

"The lounge is all filled up with freshman and Juvia came back to visit Gray so he's busy, and this was my last stop..." I drifted off, rubbing my nose.

"Oh come on Lucy, he's a good guy, I swear. I wouldn't let him stay if he weren't." Erza said, and I felt my chest swell with pride, "Plus I need him here to give me his opinion on these."

I saw her swallow and Erza wave me closer, "See, come look."

I was trying to keep my distance from her so that she didn't have to feel so uncomfortable, but Erza kept waving me closer so I just went along with it. I stepped next to her chair and she held up her first sketch of Lucy, in the same position she was in when I walked in.

"She's beautiful right?" Erza said, smudging the dark lines around the curves of her body with her finger.

I saw the detail Erza had put into this drawing, the expression she had Lucy wear and the way her body was positioned, I felt my stomach knot up again just looking at it.

"Yeah," I breathed, biting my lip shut as I glanced to her out of the corner of my eye. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, but I could distinctly see her staring at me through her eyelashes.

"That's really good," I complimented, rubbing my nose again to try and look at her again.

"Thanks. Speaking of which, Lucy? Who told you to move? Get back in position, c'mon this is due tomorrow!" Erza snapped her fingers, ignoring Lucy's dropped jaw.

I could see her embarrassment plain on her face. She actually didn't seem all that distressed about it, rather more annoyed than humiliated. I felt bad either way.

"I won't look." I assured, "Promise."

I gave her a smile, puffing my cheeks up so that it hopefully eased some of the tension between us. I saw her smile a little back and hide it behind her hand, rolling her eyes. Her really pretty eyes.

I left those two to themselves, as much as could anyways and fell onto the couch. I hooked up my X-Box and tried not to think about the girl getting naked right next to me, and the fact that if I looked to my right far enough I could probably see her.

"Okay, lay on your stomach now." I heard Erza say, "Point your toes a little too, great."

I could picture it. I really could, against my will in every way. I wanted so badly to look at her again. I know that sounded really pervy, but in all honesty, that's all I wanted to do. I didn't imagine kissing her and having sex with her when I saw her, I just saw her like a painting. Which, was really weird, I know, but that's how my mind always tended to work. She was beautiful, I _will_ admit it, she by far one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen. How have I not seen her before? If she was close enough to Erza to be doing this favor, why haven't I noticed her before?

"Chin up a little."  
"What?" I blurted subconsciously, whipping my head towards Erza.

Being roommates with the lady always had me on edge. She always got pissed when I ignored her or didn't answer, so I taught myself to keep talking even when I didn't hear what she said.

I didn't realize my error until my eyes connected with Lucy's again, and her head tilted with a raised eyebrow. Oops.

"Sorry-I uh, forgot." I blurted again, switching my eyes back and forth between them both, "Thinking about stuff."  
Lucy was on her stomach now, her chest pressed up against the floor and her knees bent over the ridiculous curve in her back.

"Sure, Natsu." Erza sighed.

Her cheek was still in her palm when she went back to ignoring me and I couldn't bring myself to look away just yet. She was actually a really good model. She seemed much more relaxed now than when I first arrived. Her expression was sexy and classy, yet also mischievous and playful at the same time. Her eyebrow was arched, and her blood red lips pulled into a tight smirk, as if you couldn't tell if she were to kiss you madly or plunge a knife into your heart.

I loved it.

She glanced back to me, giving me a look right before I ducked back down into the sofa. I let out a big breath and forced myself to focus on my video game, trying to stop my heart from thudding against my chest. I heard a soft laugh moments after.

"Geez Natsu, you act like you've never seen a naked girl your age before." Erza commented, and I internally rolled my eyes. Were they whispering about me? "Oh wait, you haven't until just now."

She sounded a little ticked at me, so of course she would try and embarrass me in front of Lucy. Perfect, Erza, thanks a whole lot.

"Sounds a little unrealistic, Erza." Lucy said, she sounded honest though.  
"Well he hasn't had a girlfriend since the seventh grade, so I'm assuming so." Erza sighed.

That wasn't entirely true. I've seen lots of naked girls before, and before you cringe at me I will say now that they were all by accident. I have a lot of friends that are girls and the amount of times I've walked in on them naked was kind of ridiculous, but I _have_ seen girls naked. Not in the way Erza means I know, not in the way where a girl would be naked for _me. _But like she said, Lucy was the only girl I wasn't friends with that I have seen naked. Not that she was getting naked for me. Or that I wanted her too. What kind of question was that?

I wasn't playing my game again, but I actually meant to now. Was it weird that I felt her looking at me? I couldn't see her or anything but I just felt her eyes on me. I kept glancing out of the corner of my eye towards her but I always stopped before I could actually see her. I promised her I wouldn't look, and if I were naked posing in front of some stranger I didn't know, I know I wouldn't want them checking me out. I blew up my cheeks and exhaled.

"Oh shit," Erza groaned, "Are you serious?"

"What?" Lucy asked.

"I don't have any of the color pastel I want, shit, I have to go get some from the art room." She blurted, and I heard her stand up quickly and head towards the door, "I'll be right back Lucy,_ don't move_. You look_ perfect_ right now."

Before Lucy could retort the door slammed shut, leaving me and her alone. _Seriously?_

I heard her sigh beside me and I pretended to keep playing my game. I couldn't focus on anything. Well, that was usual, my mind was always wanting to run around, it was hard to keep me in one place, but this time was definitely different. Maybe I could make it to the mini fridge? I rubbed my hands on my pants before I failed at making myself stand up. If I stood up then I would see her. If I went to the fridge there was no doubt I wouldn't see her. _Just do it._

I stood up and kept my head low, glancing at her lowly as I passed by to beside my bed. I got a few soda's and snacks and turned back towards the couch, freezing in spot. She caught my eyes in hers.

I forced my feet to move, offering a smile and falling back onto the couch. She still held that expression on her face and I couldn't get it out of my head.

"Hey, is that pepsi?" I heard her ask from beside me.

I turned towards her and held up the can, "Yeah."

She scrunched up her nose with a nervous smile, "Do you think I could have one? I've been lying here for two hours and Erza doesn't allow breaks."

I laughed and nodded eagerly, "Yeah, totally."

Did I really just say 'totally'? I stood up and handed her the soda, forcing my eyes anywhere but her breasts being pressed up the floor. She sipped the bottle quietly, trying to keep her lips from touching it too much to keep her lipstick sharp. She looked to me expectantly then, as I stood saying nothing and nodded towards the floor, "Wanna sit?"

Okay...she was cool with me now? All it took was a soda?

I glanced back and slowly sat on the floor, my back pressed up against the side of the couch and her still a few feet from me. My eyes wandered everywhere except her, and I was pretty sure it looked like I was following a fly around the room.

I heard her laugh then, "You've really haven't been with many girls huh?"

Was it that obvious?

I scratched the back of my head, "Not all that into the whole thing I guess."

She nodded, listening, and raised an eyebrow, "Gay then?"

I shook my head, shrugging, "Nope."

She smiled then, glancing up from her bottle to me with her eyes gleaming. "Hm."

I smiled back, "Disappointed?"  
She showed her teeth, giving me a mischievous look, "Oh quite the contrary."

I didn't really understand that, she liked to use big words, but I was like 90% sure that meant she was happy I was straight. That was something right?

"So how'd Erza manipulate you into posing for her?" I asked.

I didn't notice at first, but I was looking at her now. Just casually, not like she was stark naked wearing red lipstick and her very pretty eyes making it clear to stare straight back at me. I felt my stomach knot up again.

"Oh she was smart," Lucy nodded noticeably, "She caught me when I was vulnerable."

I grinned, "She'll do that. What did she do?"

She was hesitant to tell me, but her lips finally opened up and showed her pearly teeth, her face turning pink a little, "She walked in on me in the shower. Naked herself might I add, and refused to leave until I said yes."

I started laughing, I should've known no one would willingly do this. Especially for her. And Erza always had a thing with taking baths and showers with people, she was always weird like that. Confident, yes, though a _little_ too eager for me to look past.

"Community bathroom?" I rose an eyebrow.

"No!" Lucy scoffed, "My personal one in my dorm! All the way across the campus where she never visits!"

She took another sip of her soda, trying to not spill it as she laughed and shook her head, "It was ten o'clock at night too, completely dark in my room and all the sudden I just hear her open up the door and force me back into the corner. I've never been so scared in my life, it was terrifying."

Lucy didn't have to tell me that Erza was terrifying, anyone's whose held a conversation with her could give you a ten page essay on that subject, Times New Roman, 12 point, MLA format, the whole deal. Imagine knowing her for ten years.

"She's a fucking demon. Have you seen her pissed?" I leaned forward, whispering.

Lucy burst out laughing at that, holding the back of her hand to her red lips and shook her head. She looked up, her expression guilty and frankly scared out of her mind. "I ate her cake once."

My jaw dropped, wrinkling my nose, "How are you still alive?"

She giggled, and felt my stomach flip again at the sound, "She doesn't really get all that mad at me, but I think she understood I didn't know any better. I've seen her pissed at others though, and it's definitely not pretty."

"She broke my arm once you know," I nodded, cringing at the memory, "We we're messing around as kids and she took it and snapped it like a twig."

Lucy grimaced at me, "Dear God, what did you do?"

I gawked, shaking my head in utter disappointment to her. "_I ate her fucking cake._"

She starting laughing loudly again, her mouth wide open, and I couldn't help but smile at it. The door opened then, and I saw Erza sighing as she walked in. I bit my lip, hoping to _God_ she didn't hear me talking about her. She stopped on her toes then, staring at both of us, and I held my breath.

Lucy was still laughing, but she forced herself to quiet down a bit. She did a pretty awful job though, because she started giggling again like a kindergartener. Erza smiled then, and I felt my stomach swarming in nerves. _What the hell was that face?_

"Lucy?" She said, staring straight at her.

"Hm?" She answered, struggling down a smile.

"Why are you laughing?" Erza asked, stepping in and letting the door close.

She bit down on her plump lip then, glancing to me, and shrugged. "Just something Natsu said."

I stood up then, quickly, and shuffled a bit away from both of them. Erza wasn't very predictable, so keeping my distance from her was usually the best way to go.

"Keep laughing." She ordered.

Lucy rose an eyebrow, the corners of her lips still turned up, "Huh?"

Erza fell down in her seat again, picking up her sketchbook and getting comfortable. "Keep laughing like that, like when I walked in. I _need_ to get that down, you looked perfect."

"Oh, I was just laughing," she said, getting herself adjusted again.

"I haven't seen you laugh like that before," Erza said softly, glancing to her, then to me.

I breathed in, holding down the swarm of warmth in my stomach and held it. What did she mean by that? Did I make her laugh differently? How did I do that?

"Natsu sit down, keep talking to her about whatever you two were when I walked in." Erza waved me back down to my seat, and I blew up my cheeks.

Lucy did the same, but more amused at this than me and I fell back in front of her, diverting my eyes again. She gave me a little smile, encouraging me to go on.

"Well? Make me laugh," She put her cheek in her palm, tapping her red nails on her skin and staring at me with those damned eyes I couldn't look away from. Why was she so...compelling? Enticing? I couldn't find the word to describe her, and I was beginning to think there wasn't one thought of yet.

I let my eyes wander around a bit, feeling my nerves get control of me again and I let out a small laugh. "Okay."

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I didn't go into the art gallery room during normal hours, because, let's face it, if I told my friends they would first: ask me why. And then I would have to reluctantly tell them that I was going to look at some pictures of this pretty naked girl I knew, and then they would make jokes of me actually having a sense of sexuality and want to tag along, and believe it or not, I really didn't want anyone else looking at those photo's. I just felt they wouldn't get it. They didn't know Lucy, they didn't know why she was laughing or what was going through her mind at that moment, or even how perfect of a person she was. It just didn't feel right.

I stared at Erza's four masterpieces, reading the labels of them each, and feeling a familiar warmth spread through me.

_The process of falling in love._

I stared at the drawing of Lucy laughing, her lips parted and mouth wide open with her head thrown back. Her toes were curled and knees bent, as if trying to suppress the shivers running through her. I knew what that looked like because I was feeling that exact same thing at that time too.

"She's gifted huh?" I heard her voice say.

I looked to her walking up beside me, seeing her in a skirt and heels, her eyes still gleaming in that way I absolutely adored.

"She sure has an imagination," I countered, looking back to the photo's.

She noticed my gaze, keeping her eyes focused on the drawing. "I don't think she was that far off."

I looked back to her quickly, and I saw her eyebrow raised at me, shuffling on her feet. She didn't say anything though.

I glanced back to the drawings, looking at the one where her back was to Erza, looking over her shoulder with a blanket across her shoulders. She held that mischievous look that I loved so much and Erza captured perfectly. Like she would kiss you madly.

I shoved my hands in my pockets, swaying on my feet. I pushed my tongue up against my cheek, swallowing.

"You're pretty."

I saw her look to me, yet I kept my eyes trained in front of me. She scoffed, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "You're only saying that cause you saw my boobs."

I laughed then, shrugging a shoulder and looking to the board, amused. "It's a little more than that, but yeah, I did."

I glanced over to her, finally, and saw her cross her arms over her chest, "Keep your eyes to the drawings."

I smiled, doing as she said and swaying on my feet again. "Never as good as the real thing though," I joked.

She looked to me, raising a perfect eyebrow, her lips smirking, "I thought you weren't into that stuff?"

I shrugged, "I'm not really." I stared at her then, wrinkling my nose a bit, "I think I could make an exception though."

She glanced to me and looked away quickly, shuffling on her feet. I saw her hold back a smile.

"It won't be that easy to see me naked again."

I laughed a bit, "That's okay."

She smiled too, feeling my heart swarm with electricity and pump through me like blood. We stood there, quietly, and I felt her fingers touch mine. She slowly rose her hand, letting her nails dance on my skin before they closed around mine, holding it loosely between us. She didn't say anything, and neither did I. I didn't really think anything had to be said anyways. I think we both just knew.

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_The process of falling in love._

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**I liked how this turned out, pretty sweet right? Going for a slight nudge in the whole 'asexual' nature of Natsu :))**

**Leave a review?**


	11. Best Friend's Sibling

**Best Friend's Sibling**

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"Can you come early today?"

I sighed, brushing my fingers through my bangs that never seemed to look right, and fell back into my car seat.

"Why Wendy?" I asked into the phone.

Wendy was a girl I used to help tutor last year, she was a little younger than me and most of my friends, but I actually really clicked with her. She was always so nice and sweet to me, and I loved being around her, so I kept in touch. I visited her a lot, when I could through my college schedule and I helped her with her high school stuff and everything, it was nice to get away every once in a while from all the stress back on campus.

"I just really wanna see you, please Lucy?" She pleaded, and I could hear her pouting lips through the speaker.

I sighed again. Well, I wasn't doing anything else important. "Alright, I'm on my way."

* * *

As soon as I knocked on the door it flew open, with Wendy grinning widely in my face. "Okay, you're here, great!"

"What is going on?" I asked, stepping in with a look.

She closed the door and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the living room. She whipped around to me, her expression more serious than I've ever seen her.

"I have to clean up the whole house in less than two hours."

I felt my lips part. She called me over to come _clean up her house_?

"_Wendy_!" I growled.

"I'm sorry Lucy, I know, but I really need your help." She said sorrowfully, "My mom comes back at 4 and the house _really_needs to be cleaned or else I'm dead."

I sighed for what? The fifth time today?

About a hour and a half later the entire first floor of her house was sparkling, if I can say smugly. We both dropped onto the couch, dead tired, staring at the blank TV. Wendy glanced to the clock on her phone and exhaled loudly.

"She should be here any minute."

"You so owe me." I groaned, pushing myself off the couch.

"I know I know, where are you going?" She asked.

"Bathroom."

I headed back towards the kitchen and went into the small restroom. I got a glance at myself in the mirror and groaned. Jesus, Wendy wore me out. My sweats were dirty with dust and my hair tied up messily, strands everywhere like I just woke up from a three year nap.

I heard a door slam shut and voices shouting of glee, I'm assuming Grandeeney came home. I don't know why it was such a big deal that the needed to be cleaned today, right at this moment. I walked out, brushing back my stupid bangs again and came into the living room, stopping on my toes.

Ohh…_no_.

"Oh Lucy! I didn't know you were here!" Grandeeney laughed.

Wendy smiled at me as well, currently being hugged by the_cutest_ human being I had ever seen in my life before.

"You remember Natsu right? My big brother?" Wendy said, said man studying me at the current moment.

"I…_yeah_!" I gave a huge, fake smile.

Did I really have to meet him like this? In sweats while I looked like the walking dead?

Wendy always talked about Natsu, I mean I knew that she was her big brother and everything, but from the way she explained him I _so _underestimated him. She said he was goofy and playful and loved dragons and stuff, wasn't he supposed to look super dorky or something? What the hell was this?

He glanced at me up and down and I shuffled uncomfortably, before he smiled. "Hey."

I crossed my arms over my tank top, smiling back, "Hi."

Wendy elbowed Natsu in his gut, nodding towards me, "This is Lucy, the girl I'm always talking about."

Talked about? What has she said? And what the hell, why didn't she tell me he was this good looking? And why didn't she tell me to wear something _decent_?

"Lucy? I thought you said Luigi." He rose an eyebrow at Wendy.

"I said Lucy," she whispered through her smiling teeth.

He didn't even remember my name, wow. First impressions, check.

"Wendy I think you left that thing in the kitchen for me, can you help?" I asked, hoping she'll get my hint.

She nodded, "Right. I'll be right back."

I lead Wendy back to the kitchen and whipped around to her, "Wendy what the hell?"

"What?" She asked, freaking out.

"Why didn't you tell me about Natsu coming? And _why_ didn't you tell me he was so hot? This is crucial stuff Wendy!" I hissed, holding her cheeks.

"Ew, what? You think he's cute?" She asked, looking horrified. "I told you he was coming a few days ago from college, remember?"

"No." I pouted. I knew Wendy probably did say something, and my head was fried from finals.

I groaned and thumped my head against the cabinet, "You couldn't of told me to wear something nice? Ish?"

Wendy strolled up to me and elbowed me in my side, grinning, "Don't worry, I already put in a good word for you."

I groaned again, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," she insisted, giggling, "I just said how nice you were to tutor me and maybe even showed him some pictures…"

I whipped towards her, "Pictures? What pictures?"

"I dunno, the ones you posted online? At the library with your friend?"

I sighed again, but this time of relief actually. Those were pictures this guy Loke took of me and Levy, he has some crush on me or something.

"Wendy! Come help your brother unpack," Her mother yelled from the living room.

I nodded towards the door, "You should go."

And maybe this was my queue to leave?

"And you should stay," Wendy replied back, reading my mind.

I rolled my eyes as she turned to walk out, but I grabbed her hand quickly, "Wait! Do I look okay?"

She turned to study me, blowing up her cheeks with a nod, "Uh huh."

I gave her a look.

"You actually look kinda cute, don't worry." She tried again, pushing her way out the door.

What was _kinda_ cute?

* * *

Well Wendy's characterization of Natsu was spot on, if I do say so myself. He was even better looking up close and really funny and even a bit absent-minded. All in all he was sweet, and cute and dear god I _so_ had a crush on him.

I ended up sitting next to him on the couch with Wendy on his other right. Grandeeney left to go to the store for dinner or something, so it left us three.

"I'll be right back."

Well, two.

Wendy got up and left for the stairs, disappearing from sight. I saw her glance back to me with half a smile and groaned internally.

The TV still played some reality show on low volume, and I shifted nervously, now of course, completely aware of how close he was sitting next to me. I decided to keep quiet, rummaging through my head of what I could possibly start a conversation with.

"So, Luigi," He said casually, looking over to me.

I glanced up to him, raising an eyebrow. Did he really still not know my name? It must have been said over twenty times in the last hour, was he really that oblivious?

"It's-"

I saw him smile. _Oh_. Joke-_he was joking. _

I let out a weird laugh, cringing as I did so. Dear God Lucy _pull yourself together. _

"So Lucy," he corrected, "You helped Wendy out a while back?"

I fiddled with my bangs again, nodding, "Yeah, I saw she was having trouble with her AP Psychology, and I've already taken that course at my college, so I figured I could help her."

"That's cool that you still stay around with her, I've always told her to go out and meet people her own age, but somehow she always ends up with the older kids, I don't know why." He commented, scrunching up his nose in confusion. _Cute_.

"She's just really sweet," I said lightly, smiling a bit.

Natsu suddenly turned towards me, resting his arm on the back of the couch and I felt my stomach swarm.

"So what college do you go to?" He asked, looking genuinely curious.

"Hargeon, down south a bit from here." I said.

"Oh that sucks, I go to Magnolia. I was wondering why I hadn't seen you around before." He thought out loud.

_He was looking around for me? _Wow,_ now_ I made the weirdest laugh I've ever made before. I combed my fingers through my hair again, "Yeah, that would've been cool if we went to the same place."

I felt my cheeks burning bright red, glancing up to him from under my eyelashes. Jeez, why did I always have to turn into a middle school girl when I was around people I liked?

"You keep messing with those," He nodded towards my bangs, giving me a cute, crooked smile.

I let my hand drop from my head and let out another laugh, sighing down to my body, "Yeah, sorry, Wendy didn't tell me anyone was going to be coming over when she invited me, especially not her big brother so I just came over like this."

I referenced to my sweatpants and hair and gave a simple shrug, turning towards him on the couch a little as well.

His smile widened a touch, "It's okay, I don't look much different. No one should really expect much from college students anyways."

I laughed and nodded, stopping in my place as soon as I felt his fingers start to play with my bangs. He let go once I looked up to him, grinning. "I like your hair."

I forced down the giant smile crawling up to my lips and instead let another nerve-wracking laugh slip out.

"I like you," He said, as if the most casual thing ever, laughing at my laugh probably. "You're really nice."

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to keep myself from practically exploding right then and there. "_Thanks._"

He sat there, absolutely _refusing_ to take his eyes off me as I had some psychotic laugh attack, and obviously found _great_amusement in it. What can I say? He was literally the cutest guy I'd seen before and he just said that he liked me for heavens sake, how can that not make me overly happy? Most comments I got were always about some part of my body, which believe me, I was so tired of. He was so nice too! Do you know how rare that is for college guys?

"Did something funny happen that I completely missed?" He asked, still watching me with a giant smile.

I shook my head, still unable to form any words and covered my face, my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"Are you okay? Are you breathing?" He laughed, taking a hand away from my face with his.

I probably looked like some bright red lollipop, so I just fell forwards, still giggling like a maniac and fell into his chest. What was about him that made me so _happy_?

I heard a door slam shut, and a loud sigh that made me finally relax and sit up. Grandeeney stood, staring at Natsu with a certain look.

"Really Natsu? You've been here for barely an hour and you're already making girlfriends?"

All the color drained from my face. Wow, can I get any more mortified at this moment?

Natsu looked up to her, as if musing it over, and gave a small shrug with a smile. "Maybe."

YUP. I CAN.

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**Thanks for the reviews :) Mind leaving one more? I appreciate them :D**


	12. The Daycare

**The Daycare**

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Shit, I was late. I hurried along out of my car, rushing across the parking lot and into the daycare. This was the third time this week work had me overloaded, staying extra hours and taking away my time from my daughter. It had me pissed, mostly at the competing companies that caused the problems, but also at myself. I should make time for her, not blame it on my job.

The bell dinged as I walked in, my eyes roaming around the nearly empty room except for the workers cleaning up.

"Mommy!"

I smile fell on my face at that voice and I immediately went to my knees, feeling a small body fly into my arms.

"Layla," I sang, seeing her grinning up to me, "I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to be this late."

She tugged on my hair gently, showing her toothless mouth, "It's okay! I was having fun!"

I raised a brow at her, "You were?"

She nodded eagerly, "Mmhm!"

She left my arms and turned around, letting my gaze fall on a man walking over, smiling.

"Natsu!" She jumped up and down.

I raised to my feet as she ran over and hugged his leg, smiling up to him with dazed eyes.

Natsu was a daycare guy who worked here, I've met him a few times actually and we've spoken, usually only with a 'thanks', but we did have some nice conservations. I actually really admired him. He always had Layla in the happiest mood when I came to get her, and the way he played and managed the children was astounding. He was goofy and playful and practically a child himself, yet he was protective over them. People like that just made my heart swell. With jealously, as much as gratitude.

"Hey Lucy," He said, picking up Layla in his arms.

I nodded and smiled, "Hey. I'm so sorry I made you stay late for her."

He shook his head, his expression light, "No problem, I like her company."

Layla giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his. I couldn't help but smile at that, and saw him set her down again.

"Come on Layla, we should get you to bed," I sighed, holding out my hand for her.

She pouted and backed up, holding onto Natsu's jeans, "I don't wanna go. I wanna stay with him."

"Sweetie," I pleaded quietly, feeling embarrassed.

"Hey," Natsu said, crouching down to her, "I'll still see you tomorrow right? Your mom's been waiting all day to come and see you, don't you miss her?"

I felt my heart swell up and sighed, reaching for her tiny jacket on the hook.

Layla nodded with a pout, pushing herself into his arms, "I'll miss you too though, can't we come over?"

"Layla," I interrupted, before anyone said anything else, and crouched in front of her to put her jacket on, "It's not very polite to invite yourself over to other peoples homes."

She mused it over as I pulled her arms through the sleeves, searching for an alternate way to come about this, "Than can he come stay with us?"

I hesitated, "I'm sure he wants to go home, Layla. You see him everyday, you're telling me you aren't tired of him yet?" I joked, hearing him scoff behind me.

She shook her head at me.

"I tend to be a person that's nice to be around." He commented, smiling at me as I stood up.

I walked us both towards the door and stopped at the last step, turning back towards Natsu as I dug through my bag. I pulled out my wallet, "Here, since you had to stay so late-"

"It's fine Lucy." He waved at me.

I hesitated, giving him big eyes and puffed up my cheeks, before continuing, "No, I would feel too bad if I didn't repay you."

"Lucy-"

"_Natsu_, let me do this, okay? If you reject it then you'll make me feel bad and guilty, and just overall upset me. Is that what you want?" I asked him sternly, holding out a fifty dollar bill.

He gave me a deadpanned look, before reaching out in defeat. I placed the bill in his palm, pushing his fingers closed as he stared at me, and smiled.

"Goodnight." I said quietly, leading Layla out the doors.

He gave me half a smile back. "Night, Ms. Heartfilia."

* * *

The door dinged again as I walked through, actually _not_ late to picking up Layla today, but if fact_early_. Wow, surprise right? I saw a bunch of children running around and tense daycare workers trying to keep everything calm and collected. Toys lay strewn everywhere and colorful puzzle mats kept some of the quieter ones satisfied.

My gaze traveled around until my eyes landed on a certain pair, an involuntary smile making its way on my lips. Natsu held Layla, of course, (she never let go) while trying to usher other boys and girls to the back rooms, probably for snack time or naps or something like that. Layla had her arms wrapped around his neck again, her head resting against his as she watched all the other children below her. She even looked amused by it.

Ah, that's my girl.

Natsu turned to her then, asking her something and she lit up in a beam of sunshine. She kissed his cheek as he set her down on the floor, laughing, and letting her run off to a mix of the other kids.

"Hey," I said, walking up to him.

His expression lit up a touch at the sight of me, "Hey."

"Handful huh?" I questioned, nodding towards the chaos ensuing all around us both.

"Yeah," He sighed tiredly, "But its getting time for their naps so we get a break for a little while."

After a few minutes of bribing and manipulating, everyone was laid down with their blankets, softly snoring away. I stood by the reception counter, watching Natsu try to maneuver his way over hands and feet and come over next to me, sighing.

"So why are you here so early?" He asked, leaning over the table and glancing to me.

I shrugged, "Just felt like taking a day off, decided to come visit."

That was a lie. Well, actually, it wasn't but I did have a reason to come here today.

"Going to check her out early?" He nodded towards Layla, asleep on the floor.

I scoffed, "Are you kidding? She'd kill me if I took her away from here if I didn't have too."

He smiled at that, Layla was one of the few who actually enjoyed the daycare, and I had a feeling he knew why too.

"She has a crush on you, you know?" I said quietly after a few moments, looking towards her sleeping face.

Half a smile came up to his lips, nodding slowly, as if embarrassed by it, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

I laughed softly, careful to not wake anyone up, "It's really cute actually, this is the first I've seen her without you by her side."

He sighed, "Yeah, I always have to promise her that we'll play her favorite game when she wakes up."

I leaned my head on my arm, watching her sleep away and hummed. I heard him stay quiet for a bit, then fidget around.

"Hey uh, not to pry or ask you anything you don't wanna answer but," He started, drifting off into a softer voice, "What about her dad?"

I exhaled and turned my head to face him, shrugging. "He died before she was born. She didn't know him."

He looked guilty, "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, "It's fine, I made sure to teach her that just because she doesn't have two parents means that she's left out. She's proud of that, and I'm proud of that. People always think single parents can't do anything for their kids or provide, but I'm doing great. At both."

He gave me a small grin at that.

"It is nice to have some extra help at times too." I thought out loud.

I glanced to him from the corner of my eye, fiddling with my fingers once seeing him look back at me. I breathed in a breath of confidence.

"Come work for me."

He turned to me, eyebrows raised and expression confused.

"I'll pay you," I blurted, quieting down. "However much you make here, you can ask for more."

I was a successful business woman, I liked to think, I could afford it.

I know it sounded weird, having him come just for Layla now, but I'll admit, _I need him_. I've never seen any adult click with children like he does, and I'd be damned if I let him slip away.

He still didn't say anything, so I kept going, drifting off carefully, "And…I have plenty of room at my house, my dad used to have this mansion with dozens of rooms that you can use, if you want to stay there. _Or_, you can just come drive over every day, if that's what you want, I don't know, whatever makes you comfortable."

He nodded shortly, but _still_ didn't say anything.

"I just…" I started again, looking at him desperately, "I really want you to stay with Layla."

His expression softened, giving me a certain flash of his eyes that I couldn't quite read, and smiled.

"Okay."

I stood up, a wide grin falling on my face. "Okay?"

He copied me, "_Okay_."

I felt a burst of happiness rush through me, just thinking about how excited Layla would be about this. I ended up tackling him in a hug, wrapping my arms around his neck and being lifted off the floor. I stilled in his arms, biting my lip.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear.

* * *

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* * *

**~A Few Months Later~**

I never thought how happy it would make me to come home to this big, giant house, usually silent and barren, and hear laughter flowing through it every night. I had a busy job after taking over my fathers company when he died, so I was always tired when I came home, but now, just knowing that Layla sounds so joyful when I step in the door, it makes me want to stay up forever just to listen to her.

Most of the house was dark, but a small stream of light led me to the sitting room, catching Natsu reading a book with Layla, of course, in his lap with her arms around his neck.

"Hey," I said softly, Layla looking as if she was just about to doze off.

His gaze traveled up to me, smiling at the sight, "Hey."

I sighed and fell to the seat next to him, seeing that he was reading her favorite book, yet the one that always made her fall asleep. I felt his eyes look back to the book and continue reading out loud. I felt my head fall to his shoulder, staring at the colorful pages tiredly as I tried to listen to his voice echo through my mind.

His words drifted off until he stopped, and I noticed him close the book, "You know there's a limit to who I'll carry upstairs after they fall asleep on me."

I laughed a bit, putting my chin on his shoulder, and saw Layla snoring softly in his chest. I felt dazed, more than usual today, but I also felt really content. Everything was just so nice and at peace, it made me feel great inside. Hiring Natsu was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Thank you." I whispered.

Before he could reply I leaned up to him and pressed my lips against his cheek. I lingered longer than I intended too, but pulled away to see him staring at me, speechless. I offered a small smile, before standing up.

"I can take her upstairs." I said, seeing him finally blink and look away.

He cleared his throat, "It's alright, I can do it."

I saw him stand up and followed him to Layla's room, navigating between all her toys while trying not to wake her at the same time. He laid her on her bed, and I came over, pulling up her blanket to her cheek in the dim light of her nightlight. I brushed the blonde hair from her eyes and sighed, standing back up next to Natsu with my arms crossed.

I stared at Layla for a moment, before I felt his eyes on me, feeling swarms of warmth pulse through me. I glanced over, catching my eyes in his as he switched between mine. He had a look I don't think I've ever really seen before, and it nearly had me to my knees.

His gaze fell to my lips, and before I could breath in, his hand held the back of my neck, kissing me deeply. I felt all the wind get knocked from my chest at the feel of him, his hand grasping my shirt at the small of my back so that I didn't fall back from the sudden eagerness. I sighed out against his mouth, pressing into his arms, but he let me go then, taking a step back.

He froze for a second, as if he was surprised himself that he did that and let his lips part. I searched his eyes; he looked like a mix of guilty and desperation.

"I should…uh, go, I guess…" He swallowed thickly, nodding towards the door.

I saw him begin to leave, and forced myself to step forward. I grabbed his hand, pulling him back from getting any further. He stopped, looking back towards me, surprised. I hesitated for a moment, before stepping up and pulling his lips down onto mine again. I kissed him anxiously, feeling a sharp pang in my chest.

"Don't leave." I said, between breaths.

He smiled against me at that, nodding, and picked me up into his arms. "_Never_."

* * *

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* * *

**I heard people really liked this one for some reason, so here you go :) Leave a thought?**


	13. Superhero

**Superhero**

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I don't remember ever really having to keep a secret. I liked being honest and from what I've seen, it saved a lot of drama in the long run. I can see why some do it, the overwhelming fear and guilt just pushed people too far, and I don't think I've ever had to experience something like that before. At least, until I met Lucy.

When I met her I knew that I liked her, and when we became best friends I knew that I loved her. It was plain and simple, and we rarely had problems like the others I've seen. We were complete opposites, so that fact really surprised me but it was true, we barely had any fights. I mean she would get pissed every now and again at something I did, but she couldn't stay mad at me long. Maybe a few minutes, a hour tops. Point is she was awesome and blatantly my most favorite person in the whole world.

Which…was why I couldn't tell her that I could spark fire from my fingertips.

I honestly don't know how it happened, it just spurred up this one day when I was a kid with my friend Gray. There were a number of possibilities to how it could've changed us, but there's nothing I know for sure. I just know that I set my house on fire and Gray froze his entire pond in his backyard. Since then we really didn't know what to do with ourselves, so we just…didn't use them. We controlled it pretty quickly, and I suppose we kept it a secret, though no one ever really asked so we never really told.

Then the giant fire happened downtown and…we actually saved a lot of people. The heat didn't burn me, my flames were always hotter, and Gray was cold blooded now so he had no problem either. Since then we figured we might as well use our powers and try and help people that usually would be dead. We were strong, I'd like to think, we could lift things others couldn't, break them, anything really.

Though, the downfall for it all was the popularity we were gaining. Apparently someone got footage of us standing in fire lifting up a two ton piece of concrete from an earthquake. Oops. Now the government has especially been on the look for us, and I was just really hoping no one was getting suspicious of us.

We wore hats and stuff, no one could identify us right?

I never really counted keeping my fire as a secret, more like 'well you didn't ask if I had superpowers and super strength so whose fault is it really here'. I know that was cheap, but the only actual struggle I had with this entire thing was with Lucy now. When we were only friends I could jump out at random times after hearing the police reports from Gray, and she would just shrug it off. She did get annoyed at times, but now that we've been dating for nearly a year, I was beginning to think her patience was thinning.

* * *

I was on my way home now, back from my _actual _job and hurried up the stairs towards our apartment. She was always waiting at the end of the day at home, she wrote books for a living so she worked at home, and I was always excited to see her after hours of not being able too.

I walked in, seeing her blonde hair spilt over the side of the couch and her toes on the other end with some movie playing. I heard her laughing, smiling as she did so and leaned on the back of the sofa. Her expression lit up at the sight of me and sat up, "Hi!"

She pulled me down for a long kiss, hanging onto my scarf, "What are you watching?"

She blew up her cheeks, her face turning a little pink, "Spy Kids 2."

I glanced up and saw it paused on the flying pig, looking back down to her. "Two?"

She gave me a look, "The second one is the best."

I grinned, dropping my bags and saw her scoot over, "Wanna watch with me?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling my phone buzz as I kicked off my shoes.

I pulled it out and froze at Gray's name, _Fire at that buffet way downtown, entire building is down with customers inside. Can you come?_

I held my breath, sighed out loudly. Is was stuff like this that put everything in jeopardy, and I couldn't just ignore it.

"Actually Lucy…" I drifted off, seeing her look back to me. "I might have to rain check that."

Her expression fell, "What?"

I thought furiously for an excuse, trying to put my shoes back on, "Gray needs me down at his studio, and I promised I'd help him with something."

"I think he'll be fine," She rolled her eyes, smiling, "You blow him off all the time."

I shuffled in place, holding my breath, "I know but this time…"

Her smile fell from her lips, gradually, and I felt my chest grow heavy. She tried to bring her lips up again, yet I saw her eyes say a different message. "I haven't seen you in forever."

I bit my cheek, stepping over to her closer, "It'll be real quick, I promise. Then we can stay up until two watching all your Disney movies." I laughed a bit, but she stayed quiet.

She glanced to my phone, falling back in her seat and pulling her legs up. "Alright."

She didn't look at me, instead at the tv, and I felt my chest sink again. I cursed internally, feeling bad, "Alright."

I leaned down and kissed her cheek, but she didn't so much as look at me. _I'm sorry Lucy._

I heard another text come in, catching her glance and I put it away, running out the door. To go save the day again.

* * *

By the time I came home it was near one in the morning, and she was fast asleep in bed. My heart sank. I hated doing that to her, and I hated lying to her like that. We were always honest with each other, weirdly so even, yet it was just this one thing that was causing all these interruptions that made everything so tense. I hated tension. We were never supposed to be like that, we were supposed to dance to bad music at three in the morning and make out for hours and I was supposed to make her laugh and stare at her while she did so. It wasn't supposed to be like this. We weren't meant to only see each other five minutes out of every day and three of them having her mad at me. I felt like I was losing a battle I couldn't win, while being called in for another battle across the city. I didn't know what I was doing, I just wanted to help people, that's all.

I sunk into the bed next to her, staring at her sleeping face and laid an arm on her side. I pulled her into me, feeling her sigh and bury her face in my shirt. I struggled down a smile, my stomach swarming with the feeling that she still wanted to be near me. She was always over it by the morning, but I never liked to risk it. I guess I always had a fear she would just wake up one day and say she didn't love me anymore. That honestly scared me most of all.

* * *

"Natsu we need to talk."

I waved my hand at Gray, talking to my dad on the phone, and felt him hit my shoulder. I glared at him, mouthing 'fuck off'.

"Natsu I'm serious, we need to talk. Now." He stared at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Alright Dad, I have to go." I said, hearing him through the speaker, "Bye."

I put my phone away, grabbing my jacket, "What? I'm already late for my lunch with Lucy I think, I have to go."

"You're definitely not," he stated, sitting down in his chair.

I rose an eyebrow, walking over in his art studio, "What do you mean?"

"I just sat outside with her for half an hour. Talking about _you_."

I stopped on my toes, seeing the serious look he gave me. It wasn't good, was it?"

"Is she still upset about not being able to see me? I know, I know, it's just been hectic lately-"

"No, Natsu," Gray interrupted, holding a hand up, "It's…more than that."

I thought a moment, getting worried, "Did something happen to her?"

Gray shook his head at me, disappointed, and sighed heavily. "Natsu she thinks you're cheating on her."

I froze in my spot. Cheating? She thought I was seeing someone else? What the hell?

"No, she wouldn't-"

"She seemed pretty convinced to me Natsu. She really thinks this, and she's really letting her mind go off." He told me.

I let my lips part, but I didn't know what to say. She would never think I would do something like that, she knows me too well. Was she really that paranoid?

"She just asked me if I knew anything." He finished, looking at me sorrowfully.

I stepped over and fell into a seat, still trying to somewhat comprehend this. Lucy. _Lucy_. She thought that low of me? Since when? What happened? We always trusted each other, and she always came to me when she was upset, why didn't she now?

"She went to you?" I asked, seeing him lean back, nodding, "Why?"

"We're friends, and she's probably a little cautious of you right now." He answered.

Friends? Enough to talk about this type of stuff? "Since when?"

He rolled his eyes, "We've been friends since I met her idiot, we're pretty close."

I wrinkled my nose, "But she didn't come to me?"

"Well duh," he said, sitting up, "She's not all that fond of you right now man. She told me Natsu, about everything. How you keep getting texts and running out with another excuse using me as the topic, fuck you by the way, and how you don't come back for hours. You keep telling her lies and I think we both know she's too smart to fall for that crap."

I swallowed, seeing him rubbing his temples, "She's really on edge man. She even accused me of being in on it to save your back if she ever found out. _Me_."

Gray was always against that type of stuff, cheating, hitting, any type of abuse really. He felt really strongly about that stuff since his girlfriend came out and said she was a victim of that once. He's always made sure to yell at all of his friends to never do that stupid shit when they got girlfriends.

"Natsu she even wanted to follow you next time you were called out. Do you know what that means?" He stared at me bluntly, his eyes fierce, "She could see us Natsu, shooting out fire and lifting up buildings, she could see us."

I swallowed again,"Okay I get it, it's really bad. I just didn't know, she acted so casually all the time, she didn't even seem mad still."

"I mean I talked her out of it for now but…I don't know what she'll do." He sighed. He looked to me then, as if he was desperately trying to figure me out.

"Why don't you just tell her?" Gray had asked this question constantly to me, throughout my entire relationship with Lucy, but I always just shook my head.

"Because…" I felt the rest of the words get caught in my throat.

Because I was scared. What if she was scared of me then? What if she thought I wasn't what I seemed anymore? I hated the thought of her leaving. Even if she didn't leave, what then? I would still have to go out and help people, what good would that be for her? She would just be scared and concerned all the time, she would wait up night and day for me, do you know how exhausting that would be? What if she decided to come with me one time and she got hurt? I literally couldn't even think about that. What if those government guys finally figured out who I was and wanted information? What if they kidnapped her? There were just too many possibilities to what could happen that could go so wrong. I could risk a lot of things in my life, but Lucy wasn't one of them. Nowhere close.

"I can't lose her." I said, feeling my throat close up.

Gray looked to me, his expression falling. "Natsu if you don't, then you just might."

I didn't know what Lucy seemed like when she talked to Gray, but he was making it very clear that we were on the edge. And I didn't even fucking notice.

* * *

I hurried home that night, yet the thought of her still doubting me made me feel uneasy. How would I even approach her? Gray said she asked him to keep it a secret, and he's already been dragged into this enough, the last thing she needed was to know that she couldn't trust him either. Because _apparently _they were really close.

I didn't know if I wanted to comfort her about it, I would just be lying again about Gray and that was the last thing we needed. I hated lying. Maybe I could just prove it to her, do all the things we used too and just shut the world out for a little while.

I came home, seeing the place dark except the bedroom. I hoped she wasn't already heading to sleep. I walked in, quietly, and let my cheeks blow up, stopping on my toes.

"Wow." I said, seeing her smiling at me.

She sat on the bed, wearing practically nothing but two frilly pieces of lace and her hair tossed over messily, and her eyes seductive. "Hi."

She stood up then, letting her long clear robe fall behind her and I felt my bags drop from my hands. So…she was okay with me still? Or was she just doing this to make everything seem normal?

I didn't want her to just do that because she was faking it though.

"I've missed you," I sighed, not realizing I said that out loud. She hesitated then, and I saw her eyes flash with something, before she smiled.

"I've missed you too," she said casually, propping her hand on her hip.

I walked into her inviting arms and wrapped mine around her waist, pulling her hips into mine. I grinned a kiss onto her lips, my body warm from how she accepted me. Like how she always did.

My hands went down her sides, gradually, feeling her soft skin and lips against mine and I opened my mouth, deepening the kiss. My hand felt her thigh, tracing circles and grasped it tightly, yet before I could pull it over my hip I felt my phone buzz.

She pulled away, hearing my ringtone and I exhaled heavily, tugging it out. "Sorry."

I saw Gray's name pop up, feeling turmoil within me. He always texted if there was a disaster to take care of, he never called me. Even for things other than helping others. Something wasn't right.

But neither was blowing Lucy off again. Right as he made _clear _that we were teetering on thin ice. I stared at it, probably longer than I wanted too and held my thumb over the screen. It couldn't hurt to just see what he wanted? I wouldn't leave, I couldn't. Not now.

"It's uh, Gray." I said, looking back up to her.

She gave a small smile, nodding a tad. "Okay."

"Just one second okay?" I said, pecking her lips again and headed towards the door.

I answered it and stood in the doorway, my back to her.

"What? I'm with Lucy," I whispered.

I heard a lot of static and a lot of sirens, his voice panting painfully, "Natsu I'm so sorry man, I need you here."

"Listen, I really can't tonight okay?" I glanced back to Lucy, sitting on the bed watching me. I lowered my voice into the speaker, "Can't you handle it?"

"Dude the entire fucking elementary school is collapsing. The earthquakes lately have made the beams crooked and gas is everywhere with tons of kids inside probably suffocating, I know things with Lucy are bad and this is the last thing you need, but I seriously need you here. I can't lift up all these steel walls by myself, I really need you." He begged, and I heard the crack in his voice.

He never panicked like this before, and his voice was cutting in and out. I sighed, letting my head fall to the door and banging it. _Why?_ Why, why why. I just needed one night with her, that's the absolute _least _she deserved. But what kind of person would I be if I ditched saving _children _just to sleep with my girlfriend?

Except it wasn't just sleeping with her. It was making sure she still had faith in me. It was making sure she still knew I loved her.

I gripped the phone tightly, exhaling a shaky breath and gritting my teeth. "Alright. I'll be there soon, just…"

"Yeah yeah, I have it. I'm sorry." He said again, before hanging up.

I didn't feel like turning to her. She knew. She heard me and she knew already. It was too quiet.

I looked back, seeing her staring at me with a knowing gaze. "Lucy I'm so sorry."

She let out a laugh, her voice caught in her throat, and her eyes gleaming. "_Yeah_."

"Baby it's an emergency this time I swear," I said, coming over to see her stand away from me.

"What? What could _possibly _be an emergency?" she yelled, tears threatening her eyes.

"I…" I felt no other words come out, my throat dry and voice weak, "_I can't say._"

She scoffed, turning away from me and dragging a hand through her hair.

"I _have _to go," I urged, seeing her still shaking her head. I hurried forward and pulled her against me, feeling her try to shove me away and kissed her forehead.

"I love you okay? Don't forget that," I looked in her eyes before she turned away, pushing herself out of my arms.

I felt my heart sink into my chest, forcing my feet away from her and leaving her alone. I shut out the sound of her sniffling behind me and ran back out to my car. I didn't like this feeling. My chest felt empty and knowing and I absolutely hated it.

* * *

I raced my way over to the school, the breath leaving my lips at the sight. "Oh my god."

Smoke billowed up into the night sky, fire blazing down below with bright red and blue lights lighting up the streets. Ambulances, police, firefighters, parents screaming for their kids. I'd never seen anything so terrible.

I rushed out and snuck past the cops pushing people back, searching furiously for Gray. I had no idea where to look or even where to go. Everything was a mess, and I had no disguise this time. I came up to the side entrance, dodging falling bricks and stones from up above and heard screaming all around me.

"NATSU!"

I whipped around to see Gray trying to hold open the door, blood falling from cuts around his face and hands bruised. "You wanna help me out?"

I ran over, "You okay? How many are in there?"

"I don't know, some are trapped." He answered, leading me back inside.

The place was crumbling and hot, and pipes of gas and steel beams fell through the roofs. "Help me with this."

An entire slab of concrete blocked the hallway down, looking thick and sharp. He grasped a side of his, lifting it up a little inhumanly and groaned out. There was no room to help him on the other side, and nowhere to take it.

"We hafta break it, It's too big!" I panted, still trying to shove it to the floor.

He let it drop to the floor with a _thump _and jumped back, fisting his bleeding hands. "Alright, go ahead."

I lit up my fist, digging my nails into my skin and threw it down on the concrete, a pulse of pain shooting up my arm. I yelled, stumbling back and saw a crack in it. Just a crack.

Gray tried then, and we went back and forth until it finally fell in half, and he pushed it down out of the way. We both rushed past and knocked down a door, seeing a group of first graders huddled in a circle. We picked them up and carried them out, ushering them through the rubble and out towards the police.

"Natsu this place is about to snap, it's on its last leg." Gray panted, staring at the building.

"I know I know," I panicked, trying to keep up with my thoughts, "What the hell do we do?"

"I don't know," he confessed, shaking his head. "I don't know how many more kids or where they are or _what_…"

We've never taken anything like this on before. Never something so big, and never something with this many lives on the line. We weren't superheroes, we didn't know the answer or how to do this, we just went with what happened. We were utterly lost.

Gray held my shoulder then, his expression falling dark, "Natsu it's moving."

The building crumbled, more stones and bricks falling gradually, and Gray's eyes widened, "Natsu it's gonna fall forward, that's where all the ambulances are!"

He ran off, screaming for everyone to back away and I followed suit, waving everyone back. Luckily the cops decided to listen to us instead of yelling at us for being so close, and helped everyone evacuate the surroundings. Large chucks of the building fell, shooting into the ground like meteors and cracking into the cement. I panted, my legs and hands shooting up pains and ached for a break. I licked some blood off my lip, whipping my head around.

_It was falling._ And not nearly enough people were gone.

The skeleton of it fell, concrete blocks still stuck to it like a giant wall coming to crush us all into the ground. I saw Gray picking up others and taking them back to safety, and I just exhaled at the sight. My fists tightened, and I heard him screaming at me to move.

The wall rushed at me and I ran in front of a mother holding her unconscious son, her leg bent backwards, broken. The wall crushed down on top of me, and I screamed out, pressing my hands into the bricks. I dropped to my knee, holding it up enough so it didn't touch her. My arms burned and ached, pain, _so much pain_ shooting up my veins and blood leaking down my elbows.

"NATSU YOU CAN'T HOLD THAT!"

I bit down on my lip, a cry bubbling up my throat as it started flattening on me, dragging my feet through the rubble. I couldn't just let her die. Her and the others, I sacrificed my entire life on this, I sacrificed Lucy, I'd be damned if I did it all for nothing.

"Get them out of here!" I bit out, panting.

I saw Gray still dragging back civilians, staring at me and help the woman behind me with her kid. He finally whipped back to me, shaking his head vigorously.

"Natsu you can't let go of this, you won't…you can't-" his voice cracked, dragging a hand through his hair.

I was in the middle of the wall, I knew. Either way I wanted to go, it was no use. I would be flattened.

"Just…get everyone out," I closed my eyes, struggling back the sting in them and biting my lip again. I tasted the metallic blood, swimming through my mouth.

He nodded, continuing to push the wounded out and usher back those on gurneys. I cried out, feeling the bones in my hands snapping and my knee burying itself in the concrete.

"Natsu, baby," I felt my heart sink at that voice, turning to Lucy staring at me.

Was I imagining her? Was she really here? I didn't want her to be here, no. Not seeing me like this. I wanted to be with her, back at home, sleeping next to her like how we always were. I didn't want her to see me like this, like a broken, bloody monster who couldn't trust her with a secret. I'd rather her hate me as a cheater.

I swallowed at her, tears pricking my eyes as I felt my arms starting to give out. "Baby," she smiled, her eyes watery, "Come home please. _Please_, Natsu, _please _come home."

I shook my head, feeling a hot tear drop. "I can't," I breathed, slipping down to my other knee, "Lucy I can't."

"Yes you can, you always figure things out, you can," she nodded, her voice going weak with tears, "Please? For me, please, just…"

The building dragged down my hands, ripping the skin down ruggedly and stopped at my forearms. "I'm so sorry Lucy."

"No, no no no," she begged, falling down to her knees, forcing herself in her place. "No no…"

My arms burned and ached and screamed for relief. I couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't keep this up. I ground out a yell from my throat, the building scratching up more skin.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, hearing her sobbing. I couldn't anymore.

I rested my arms. I heard a crash then, and the concrete force itself on my head before something punched it instead, slamming me down on the ground. I felt a hand roughly grab me as I tumbled back from the blow, dragging me out as a loud _boom _echoed through my ears. I was blurry eyed, watching the stars above me in the night sky, before it all went black.

* * *

**~Later~**

* * *

I woke up to a constant beeping. I sighed out, squeezing my eyes and saw bleach white walls, and a TV hung up on a monitor. I groaned. The hospital.

I heard tapping then, and a firm hand grasping my own. It stopped. My eyes wandered, looking around until they landed on a pair of watery hazel ones, freezing in my spot.

"I can't believe you," she sounded like her throat was dry and strained, sniffling her nose.

I sat up, grunting out at the pain shooting up my hands and arms. "Lucy-"

"No, stop," she ordered, standing up, "Natsu-"

She cut herself off, tightening her lips and shaking visibly. "You almost died. _Died _Natsu, and I wouldn't of even known if I hadn't followed you."

I decided to stay quiet, looking up to the hurt on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice broke, swallowing thickly.

I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know where to begin. I just didn't know anything.

"I was scared," I admitted. "Of a lot of things Lucy, I was scared."

She gritted her teeth, I could see, and looked away from me. "I still deserved to know. I could've helped you, I could've understood, I could've _done _something-"

"That's what I'm afraid of Lucy, I don't want you doing anything. I don't want you putting yourself in that kind of situation." I told her.

"Oh but it's okay if you do?" She snapped, "You left me, you _left_ me all those times and _lied _to me to go out and save lives?"

I stared at her, speechless, her eyes frowning, "You let me be mad at you and _hate _you just because you were scared? You let me think you were sleeping with someone else, like you would drop that low, just so you didn't have to tell me you could make fire with your hands? Because you thought that would somehow change how I thought of you?"

I'd never seen her like this before. So mad and angry and hurt all at the same time. I never thought I'd be the one to make her like that.

"Is that how low you thought of me?" She asked, a tear finally dropping to the floor.

I shook my head, looking up to her, "I didn't want to risk it. I didn't want to lose you over it."

She punched my shoulder, "You're so _stupid!_" she sniffed her nose, her lips finally quivering, "You could never lose me!"

I flinched, seeing her start to breath heavily, "Natsu you could grow horns out of your head and a fucking tail, _you will never lose me._"

I felt my heart sag again, a part of me still not wanting to believe it, but the other saying to just listen to her. To just put everything I had into her. Blindly, without a single worry. How could she do that for me? I didn't get it, I didn't, I didn't.

But I did anyway. I grabbed her shirt, ignoring the stinging pain in my hand and pulled her down into me. She sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around me and burying her face in my chest, her tears soaking my shirt. I held her. Probably more tightly than I meant too, but I just blocked everything out. I blocked out the pain, the confusion, the desperate need to hear her say she won't leave me again, just the world.

"How am I alive right now?" I breathed, remembering the night. I heard crashes and I felt something explode on my head and stars, it was all a mess. I should be dead right now.

She smiled, sitting up to look at me, "Gray."

My eyebrows creased, "What?"

"He saved you," she shrugged, looking bewildered, "He got someone to drive a bus underneath the wall in enough time to get you out. I don't know, he did the whole…" She waved her hand around, puffing up her cheeks, "Ice thing, and knocked you far enough to the edge so he could grab you before it all fell."

She knew about him too then. "That son of a bitch."

She laughed a bit, weakly, and fell back onto my chest. She nuzzled her head in my neck again, and I kissed her cheek, before pulling her up to kiss her fully. She cupped my cheeks then, a little roughly, but I didn't want to complain. I loved it.

"Is that all you have to say about it then? You know I could've died right?"

I let go, looking towards Gray leaning against the doorway with half a smile. He came in fully, strolling up beside us. "If I have to save your dumbass one more time I'm letting you get crushed by a building."

I smiled back, knowing that was probably about as much sympathy he'll show towards me, and nodded my head. "You say that every time."

"And every time I still end up saving you. You're getting in a nasty habit." He tsked.

I rolled my eyes, holding out my hand for him. "Fuck off."

He grinned and took it, Lucy staring at us both like we were beasts. "I'll never understand you two."

I shrugged. Neither will I, to be honest.

She sat up then, ushering Gray down to her old seat and looked at us both eagerly, her eyes bright and sparkling like a child.

"So…?" She bit her lip, pushing herself into my arms.

"So what?" Gray asked.

She switched her eyes between us both, opening up her mouth in an excited manner and tapped her finger on my chest, her voice lowering softly.

"When can I join the team?"

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**Okay, I really got out of hand on this one. I actually really liked this prompt, but I felt like it needed to be taken slow and stuff, so I did that and_ wow_…**

**this is so long im sowwry like 6,000 words my lord**

**Review?**


	14. The Spy Upstairs (2)

**The Spy Upstairs**

**Part 2**

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I didn't think I could be any more excited about this situation, but here I go again, proving myself wrong.

It's only been a few days since the whole 'dog' incident and my nerves have never been more alert. I definitely caught him. He was an assassin and I _so_ caught him.

What I couldn't figure out was if he _knew_ I had these ideas running through my head. He never confronted me afterwords, he never brought it up or seemed concerned, like it was just some everyday thing that your neighbor hears a gunshot from the floor below. Why wouldn't he? I mean, I'm sure if I were found out by someone that _probably_ would not be a very good thing.

I was like 95% sure he was a killer, I mean, there's always that 5% slither of a chance that I could be over analyzing _everything_ so far, but I felt pretty strong about this case. I even tried to keep a more careful eye on him. We would stand in the elevator as usual and although I studied human behavior in college, it was the stealth of it all that was my downfall.

He seemed normal, we still talked normally and he didn't look like he was all that curious about my knowledge. He wasn't fidgety and swaying, and while I tried to see if he glanced to me more than often, I failed miserably because I absolutely suck at trying to be sly, so I just kept my gaze elsewhere. I think he was, looking at me that is. I couldn't see, but I just felt it you know? That pressure on your body where you can just feel someone's gaze, it sent shivers through me, woah.

He didn't give anything away, it drove me _insane_. Would I have to confront him? That just spells out trouble and/or embarrassment, no thank you. I didn't feel satisfied. I wanted that 5% chance to disappear, I wanted it gone forever. I _needed_ to know now. It was like I _knew_ but I didn't _know._

Trying to hold up a conversation with him now was beginning to derail me as well. I just couldn't keep my head on straight, it was always focused on him. That's what I thought about all day and night, _him_. He plagued me like a fog, I just wanted to shriek out of anxiousness and excitement.

Oh, and nervousness._Yeah_…I still totally had a crush on him.

"Fine."

"Huh?" I blurted, snapping back into reality.

He gave me a short look, a smile teasing his lips, "Uh, you asked me how Happy was. He's doing fine."

"Oh," I laughed, "Right sorry. I've been fazing out all day, I guess I didn't get much sleep."

He nodded, "Yeah. Me neither."

I nodded back, smiling a bit. The rest of the ride went silent, only the quiet hum of the machinery filling the air between us and I felt like I was about to melt into a puddle. I couldn't think of what else to say, it was weird. This always came naturally to me, but I couldn't help it, he had me on edge. I didn't know if I was scared or eager, maybe some of both, half and half? All I could say was that it was exhilarating, that's all I knew for sure.

And that the few minutes I had with him in the day were far too short.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened up to my floor. I felt his eyes on me again. I looked to him, smiling a bit, and waved a hand. "Well goodnight."

I stepped out, wanting to say more, but nothing popped up in my mind to come out of my mouth. I saw him smile back in a glance, nodding his head. "Yeah, g'night."

I walked out a few paces, taking a glance back subconsciously. He was looking to the floor, his hands in his pockets and a deep expression of thought on his face, his smile gone. The doors made their way to each other again and I sighed out, heading towards my door.

I heard a crunch of a gear and a ding behind me, Natsu holding the door open.

"Hey uh, Lucy?" He called, catching my gaze again.

I felt my heart stop. Holy shit…_holy shit_. Was this it? Was this really about to happen?

"Yeah?" My voice squeaked, but I cleared my throat to cover it up. He stepped out then, keeping the doors open with his arm and gave half a grin, actually looking sort of…nervous?

"Do you wanna maybe, hang out sometime?" He asked, looking nerved, "Just like watch a movie or something like that?"

He gave a weak laugh, his eyes expectant. I felt my stomach flip at that because _oh my god_ was this actually happening? I should probably say something but _wow_ is my mouth dry.

"I mean, it doesn't have to be that but, you know, just come over for a bit? If you're free?" He elaborated, shrugging an arm.

He was doing it! He was really asking me out! Wait-to his place? _His place?_ The assassin den? To confront me then? Oh holy shit, this was unbelievable.

"I'm free," I nodded, a bit more quickly than I liked. A gradual smile made its way on my lips, and I let out a shrill laugh, "Yeah, my day off is tomorrow so…"

He grinned then, "Great. At six then?"

I fiddled with my keys, biting my lip to keep that huge smile down until he left. I nodded again, forgetting I wasn't actually saying the words in my head.

"Yeah, yeah, sounds good." I agreed, starting to walk backwards.

He gave me a look then, one that sent shivers through my spine and my knees quaking. "Good."

He stepped back in the elevator then, pressing his button. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"_Yeah._" I giggled, cutting myself off.

Dear God, that sounded terrible. His grin widened then because _crap_ I think he heard me, and the doors shut him in.

I dragged a hand through my hair, puffing out my hot cheeks and kicked my door open. I felt my stomach _swarming_. Butterflies, bubbles, warmth, knots and twists, it was all just stuffing up inside me until I finally closed the door behind me. I wanted to shriek and scream and dance and everything, _oh my god this was amazing._

Everything after that was just a blur, I dropped everything and jumped in my bed, tangling myself in my sheets and screaming into a pillow. Jesus I was pathetic, but I _so_ didn't care right now. I was too excited, I couldn't care about anything.

I smiled into my pillow, but it didn't help release anything inside of me. Jesus, I don't think I've felt this happy in years, it was kind of ridiculous. Especially considering it was only because of a maybe date/hangout with the cute guy from upstairs. Oh whatever, I didn't get out much.

At least I knew one thing for sure, whether he talked to me or not, and it was that that 5% slither of a chance would be no more. Because I was about to go find some answers.

* * *

I took in a deep breath. All those little fluttery feelings ceased to ease up on me until now, standing in front of his door where they so _kindly_ decided to get more excited. This really had me nervous, geez, I haven't hung out with anyone new for months. How do I even do this? What would I talk about? What did he expect? Was I supposed to dress normally or…?

I shoved those thoughts away, sighing out. Just do whatever Lucy, it'll be fine. I knocked on his door, tugging at my sundress before I managed to hear feet again. He opened the door and my heart jumped, a quick smile finding its way on my face.

"Hey," I sang, biting my lip.

He opened the door wider for me, letting me in, "Hey."

I took a look around the infamous room where he held another assassin captive, still wondering if he finished cleaning up the mess from before. It was a nice place, and hey look, the same bathroom where I heard the groan from. How nostalgic.

I felt something soft brush up against my leg, smiling down to the ball of fur. "Hi Happy."

I leaned over and petted him, hearing the door close behind me.

"Uh, I ordered pizza. I forgot that I can't cook very well so," he shrugged, coming around my side.

I smiled, looking up to him from Happy, "That's cool."

He let his gaze wander and I stood up, walking around. He followed me, and I could practically hear the gears in his head turning. He seemed nervous, and I actually sort of loved it.

"I didn't know what kind of movie you wanted to watch, or if any at all, so I just figured you could look around for something." He told me, pointing towards his TV.

I looked back to him, nodding, and smiled. "Okay."

I looked around, playing with a bunch of knickknacks and old pieces of paper he had laying on tables, giving him a playful look, "I'm kind of in the mood for something funny tonight?"

He shrugged, lifting his lips a little, "Okay. Me too."

I saw more souvenirs laying around, now noticing how much junk he had everywhere, just old boxes and statues and things, it was weird. "You have a lot of stuff."

He scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I'm pretty sentimental. I hate throwing stuff out."

I laughed a bit, "You mean there's a memory behind all these pieces of paper?"

I held up half of a foreign dollar from a whole other country, seeing him grin at me, "Yup."

I stepped up to him, "Well tell me."

He took the dollar from my hand, "Well this is from when I went to Song, the continent, and I forgot to change my currency so I only had this half of a dollar of their money."

"Wow, all the way to Song? What were you doing there?" I asked.

He hesitated then, looking casual,"Just a vacation. Wasn't much of one without money."

I noted that pause, laughing a touch and nodded. "Well that's cool."

I think he came around after a few good minutes. He relaxed, and I felt a pound of relief to do the same. I think he was nervous I would say something about the night before, or find something, not sure, but we finally sat down and picked out something to watch. He told me more about all the stories behind all his junk, and wow, when he said he was sentimental that was really putting it lightly. It was kind of cute really, how he liked to remember all the small things.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I asked, after a moment of laughing from something that he said.

I stood up, nodding towards the one next to the kitchen, and he was quick to reply. "Uh, you can use the one in my room, that one's kind of messy."

I hesitated, remembering that was the 'groan' bathroom and nodded. Yikes, was there still blood in there or something? How badass, I loved it.

"Alright." I said, heading towards…oh shit.

_His bedroom_. Alone? Oh _damn_.

I hesitated at the door, forcing myself to hurry up before he caught my pause. I closed the door behind myself, seeing the door to his bathroom. Wow, there was even more junk in here, except with the company of clothes.

I headed into the bathroom, but I didn't really have to use it. I suppose I just needed a breath to myself for a second, I still needed to figure out that 5%. He still didn't say anything, so I guess I would just have to do it the old fashioned way.

I fixed up my hair, sighing out. I shouldn't snoop. I really shouldn't. Ugh, but I have too.

I peeked in the drawers and cabinets, trying to quietly close each door and check the other. I didn't know what I was looking for, a weapon of some sort or maybe just his CIA badge. That would be helpful. I came up empty in the bathroom and came out to his room. I went to his bedside, trying really desperately not to trip and crash into everything loud that surrounded me. Okay, bad time to be wearing high wedges.

My gaze fell over his nightstand, still covered with old pictures and clippings of paper. I stopped then, my eyes caught on something particular. I picked up a hair ribbon, smiling at it. I gave him this after he told me about a 'sale' he was trying to make, and said it was for good luck. I told him I always wore that in my hair because nothing bad ever really happened when I wore it, so I tied around his wrist. I completely forgot about up until now.

Aw, and he _kept it?_ In his stuff of memories too, back in his room? _Like something to remind him by!_

I bit down on my lip to keep in a big laugh, placing it back down. I breathed out, okay focus Lucy, you're getting distracted. I looked in his drawers, searching for a gun, knife, dual swords,_something_ to give him away. I sighed. Nothing.

Maybe under his bed? I got on my knees and peeked my head under, seeing nothing but some screws and more junk. I held back a groan. Damn, he was good.

The door opening made me a jump, a shriek getting caught in my throat. I whipped my head behind me, my face as guilty as a child stealing cookies. He stared at me, and I couldn't read his face for the life of me.

"Oh hey!" I blurted, bringing my hand to my ear.

"Hey." He gave half a smile, "You alright?"

"Oh yeah, I just uh, lost my earring and I was looking for it," I said, pulling out my stud and showing him my empty ear.

He gave a short nod, coming in further and…closing the door behind him. Oh shit.

"You know how these things can be, you drop it and it rolls off to the dark side of the moon." I joked, directing my eyes away from his completely _unreadable_ figure coming over by me.

I fisted my earring and ducked back under his bed, cursing quietly. Before I could think of my next move he asked if I needed any help, crouching down next to me. I laughed nervously as he laid down next to me, preeettyy closely might I add.

I faked searching around, feeling the carpet as he sort of just stayed there, not really participating yet I couldn't say he wasn't looking either. My shoulder could brush up against his with a flex of a muscle, so yeah, I was freaking out a little inside. His hand went to the back of his head, scratching his hair, and I knew he was about to ask something. It was _it_ wasn't it?

"Hey, uh, I've actually been meaning to ask you something," he began, yet I kept my eyes searching for nothing in the dark. My heart jumped though. This was it, was he actually going to bring it up?

I felt his eyes on me again, like in the elevator, except this time he was _less than three centimeters away from me_. "Yeah?"

"Well, you remember that night a while ago, when you came up to check on me?" He asked.

I froze then. I couldn't help it. I had thought of this scenario a hundred times, but I still didn't feel right. I wasn't prepared, nope nope, not a bit as much as I thought I was.

I looked back to him, slowly, and saw a gleam in his eye that sent another shiver through my spine. The same look he gave yesterday, like I couldn't tell if he was going to slam me against the wall in the good or bad way.

I flicked my wrist as he stared at me, laughing a bit and looking to the shine. "Hey, there it is!"

I crawled forward now, grabbing my earring and heard him hold back a sigh. I bit back a sigh of my own, okay, probably not the best idea to be crawling under beds in a short dress and wedges. I quickly got out before anyone could catch a glance and stood up, seeing him follow suit.

I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know how to deal with the question. All the test runs in my head that led up to this moment completely failed.

I saw him stand up too and I put my earring back in, smiling, "Thanks for helping."

He nodded at me in reply, and I shuffled on my feet, still trying to keep a smile up despite my nerves. I turned towards the door, slowly heading over and adjusting my dress again.

"So uh, about that night," he started again, and I heard him following me.

I cracked open the door and my heart jumped up, getting caught in my throat. He was next to me, suddenly, his hand pushing the door shut again. I let him close it with a _click_, and he gave me a small smile, "I need…I need to know what you think happened…"

He drifted off, leaving the question in the air. I let my lips part in an attempt to answer, but nothing came out. He stepped in closer, pressing his back against the door and I stood in front of him, letting go of the doorknob.

"I know that you probably heard something that night, and I'm just curious to know…" he hesitated, like he wasn't sure he wanted to finish, "What you might have thought happened?"

I still had my lips parted, turning them into a crooked smile with a shrug, "I don't know what happened."

He gave a shrug of his own, swaying on his feet, "I just kinda, need to know what you heard Lucy."

My hand trembled, whether because I was scared or exhilarated or just because of the silky way he said my name, I bit down on my lip, gathering any touch of courage I had in storage.

"What I heard?" I repeated, a playful smile crawling up my lips as I strolled closer, "Like what?"

I saw him stare at me expectantly, his gaze unfaltering on me.

"A gunshot?" I questioned, casually, raising a brow, "Someone moaning in your off limits bathroom?"

A smile slowly grew on his face, and I saw my playful look be vaguely returned. "Yeah. Something like that."

My heart thudded in my chest. I was actually surprise I managed to seem so calm, boy was I freaking the hell out inside. I bit my cheek, shaking my head. "Nope. Haven't heard anything like that."

"Really?" He pushed himself off the door, closing the distance between us, before I stepped back. "Because, I think we both know what happened that night."

My breath hitched. He came up closer, nodding towards his bed, "So, you wanna tell me what you were looking for in here?"

I didn't answer. t. Holy shit. I couldn't even think of a noise to say, my feet were glued to the floor.

"Or maybe, what it looks like you're thinking right now?" He questioned.

Was I that obvious? Well I bet he could tell either way what I was thinking and if it was the truth, but I still was not prepared for this.

I answered anyways. I didn't mean too, but the words fell out of my mouth. I couldn't keep with the silence any longer, it was agonizing and I couldn't stand the suspense. There wasn't any turning back now.

"You…kill people…for a living?" I breathed out.

He let his eyes wander around, as if he needed to muse it over and shrugged. "Yeah." he stated. "I kill people for a living."

The world _stopped_ then. I felt it, I felt the 5% drain away into a black void of nothingness and nothing could have tasted sweeter on my tongue. I was right. All of it, all of what happened was_real_. All those little things that added up into this, it _actually_ counting towards my theory.

I let out a weak laugh, but my smile fell pretty quickly. I shuffled on my feet, looking at him up and down, "Are you going to kill me?"

My voice was weaker than I intended, but he only looked amused. He stepped closer, raising a brow, "Do I scare you now?"

I scoffed, circling him around and dragging a hand through my hair, "Well, _yeah!_ You just told me you kill people for a living, what would make me any different?"

He laughed a bit then and I sighed out, finally feeling all those built up nerves flow out. He looked to me casually, still smiling, "I'm not going to kill you."

I looked to him up and down, still wary, "Really?"

He shrugged half heartedly and rolled his eyes, "No."

"Why not?" I asked.

He gave me a look, like he didn't know, "Uh, I have no reason too? I mean, it's not like you're gonna_tell_ anyone right?"

He looked at me, expectantly, and I shook my head quickly. "Alright. No reason then."

He seemed laid back now, and now that the overwhelming fear of the possibility I could've been brutally murdered tonight was gone, the feeling of excitement beneath that was beginning to show.

"So…we're okay?" I asked, slowly stepping forward, a smile creeping on my face.

I waited for an answer eagerly, and he nodded, humming, "Mmhm."

I let out a laugh then, wanting to actually _burst_ into joy right now and explode into confetti. _This was so cool!_ I slapped a hand to my mouth to keep in a squeal, my cheeks warming up with embarrassment.

"Oh holy shit man, I have _so_ many questions and ideas and I actually got _really_ nervous for a second there," I blurted, exhaling loudly into the air. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face, I felt my stomach knotting up again just at the thought.

I forced myself to calm down, trying not to jump in place. "Okay first question, wait, no, _first_–ohh wait no, _first_-"

"No questions," he scoffed, opening the door back up again.

"What?" I nearly screeched, following him out. "No way, you can't just drop a bomb on me like that and _not expect questions_."

He stopped at his couch, turning back to me, "Can't we just finish our movie?"

I walked up to him, holding onto his arm, "Noo, questions!"

He sighed at me, rolling his eyes at my pout and gave me a look. "You get one question."

I lit up again, pulling him down onto the couch with me, "Okay! So–"

I bit my lip. I honestly didn't know where to begin. There were so many things I wanted answered, how could he expect me to narrow this down into one question?

"What agency do you work for?" I asked, scooting closer to him.

He clicked the remote casually, shaking his head. "Classified."

I gaped a smile, "Oh come on! You said you'd answer!"

He looked back to me, a little wary, "You know most people would be dead right now if they knew what you knew."

"Well I'm special," I said, my tone obvious.

He grinned at that, shrugging in agreement. I hopped right next to him then, turning to face him, "Okay so, how many people have you killed? Wait no, did you have like special training? Or like specialized weapons?"

"Lucy-"

"No no no, do you go on undercover missions? Like when you leave for a few days?" I asked, finally looking to him for an answer.

He gave a shrug of defeat, "I guess."

"Oh!" I slapped his shoulder, grinning wider, "Do you go on like search and destroy missions? Oh, or what about rescue missions? Like you help kids who've been kidnapped?"

He was laughing now at me, but I was honestly too hyped up to even feel embarrassed. I just wanted him to answer. I gave him a look then, my eyes going soft.

"Would you save me if I got kidnapped? What if people wanted me now for information about you?" I said, _kind of_ hoping for some kind of assurance.

He wrinkled his nose though, "No, probably. If you got kidnapped because of me you'd be dead within an hour. By the time I even knew you were gone you'd be in a ditch somewhere."

I gawked at him, my spirit shot, "Natsu!"

"And even if they didn't kill you, you'd probably be tortured and _then_ killed because you don't know nearly enough information about me that they'd hope for, so they would probably snap your neck just out of frustration." He scrunched up his lips, thinking it over.

I leaned forward, "_Unless you came to save me…_" I smacked his shoulder again.

He rolled his eyes, "Okay, if there was some chance they'd keep you alive, yes, I would come save you."

I leaned back then, smiling, "Aww."

I saw him scoff quietly, sinking into his seat as he turned a little pink. "Can we just finish this movie now?"

I sighed out, falling to my back next to him, "_Fine_. Let's finish this movie instead of talking about your secretive assassin career, sure."

He merely shook his head, letting the screen play now from where we left off. I couldn't focus on it though, my mind was still jumping from absolute joy just at the fact that I was right. _I can't believe it_, he's actually a spy! I had so many questions, so many so many, and he refused to answer even one of them.

The silence filled us for a while, and he watched the TV soundly, before I sighed out, turning back to him. "Have you ever been shot before?"

He didn't look to me, but I could tell he was starting to get annoyed. I didn't care though, it was his fault for telling me.

"Like on that night? Did someone break in and you shoot them?" I whispered.

"Okay," he paused the movie and stood up, turning to face me, "You know I think those were enough questions for one day."

I gaped at him, "Are you kicking me out?"

He smiled then, walking back towards his door, "Yes."

"Oh come on, I'm sorry!" I laughed, running up behind him, "Just answer one! One _measly_ little question!"

He opened up the door and widened it for me, ushering me through the archway. "Goodnight Lucy."

I gaped at him, now in the hallway, and I saw the door slowly close in my face, "Please-"

The door clicked shut and I sighed, blowing a hair out of my eyes. "You can't get rid of me now!"

I waited, but no reply came except for his feet walking away. I moved my own too, huffing at him and headed back towards the elevator.

Whatever, I was still insanely happy right now. I actually figured him out! Oh and I would _so_ get those answers out of him, just you wait. I'll be back for him, he can't keep his defenses up forever. It was only a matter of time now, and I was more than happy to have them all be spent with him.

I still felt shivers coursing through my spine. God, I had it bad for him. And me finding out what he does for a living definitely did not help that _at all_. Hell, he was probably more attractive to me now more than ever.

My friend always said I had a thing for bad boys, although I doubt he technically counts as one. Oh well. Whatever he was, I still had a major thing for him.

And despite all the questions I wanted answered tonight, I still really wouldn't mind seeing him again like that, even if I got no replies. I just hoped that what we have together now lasted a long while. I don't think I've had that much fun in years.

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**Part 2 of this spy series, I have to admit its one of my favorites :))**

**I think this'll be multi-chaptered? Maybe in a while, so look out for more of this :)**

**Hope you liked it, review?**


	15. MMA

**MMA**

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"I don't see why I have to come to this Erza. These are your friends, doing your stupid fights, not mine."

Erza gazed back to me, a polite smile on her lips, "Oh come on Lucy, at least try to enjoy yourself? I have to cheer them on, they always do for me."

I hated MMA fighting. And I hated that one of my best friends was an MMA fighter, she had no idea how scared shitless I was for her, even if she had never lost a match. I've never actually seen a full match per say, but I saw snippets on it on the TV and when I picked up Erza after matches. I saw the aftermath, and that alone was enough to make me dislike it. Why would people punch and nearly kill each other for _fun_? What was the sense in that?

Me and Erza slid in between people in the stands, walking down to the front row seats as everyone took their places before the fight started.

"Who even are we here to see?" I asked, sitting down beside her.

I looked around and saw a mix of signs people were holding up, some that said Salamander and others that said Black Steel.

"Natsu. He's a good friend of mine, strong too. Although Gajeel's never lost a match either, so I guess we'll just have to see how this pans out."

I groaned internally as the light dimmed, and this whole big ceremony begun as the two competitors came out. One was big a bulky guy with a mass of black hair pulled up on his head. He looked gnarly, piercings literally everywhere on his body and old wounds covered with bandaids all over his face from fights before. The other guy looked kind of like a joke compared to who he was fighting. He had pink hair for one, and this crooked, goofy grin that nearly made me laugh. Was this serious?

A bell dinged and their shirts dropped, and mouth pieces being shoved between their lips. Seriously ripped, okay, could have expected that. They circled around each other with their fists held up, the chanting of their stage names echoing through the arena.

"Which one are we rooting for?" I whispered to Erza.

"Natsu. Pink haired guy." She whispered back.

I nodded, and as soon as I did he threw a punch, but Gajeel dodged and uppercutted him in the gut. The crowd went wild and I could only flinch in pain. O u c h. He seemed to shake it off though, and get his head on straight again. I sighed. This would be a long night.

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If I had known I would be at the edge of my seat and screaming my lungs out by the end of the night, I probably would've slapped myself in the face, but right now at this moment, I _so_ couldn't help it. This fight was really good, and that's coming from me. At first I thought the winner would've been picked early because damn, Natsu was getting the crap punched out of him. I still cringed at every hit or kick being taken, but it really did get the blood pumping through me.

Everyone was screaming as Natsu landed _three_ solid punches to Gajeel's jaw, getting him back on his toes. He cocked his arm back for a fourth hit, but Gajeel finally ducked and dodged, elbowing him in the gut _hard_. I bit my lip just at the sight. Natsu curled over and Gajeel twisted his arm around his back, and pulled him in for a headlock, flexing his arm around his neck. Natsu struggled and writhed, but Gajeel's hold looked tight.

I felt my heart sink for him, _holy crap don't die_. Erza was screaming her head off for Natsu to break out, but I just fell silent in my seat. Was he even breathing? Was his neck getting snapped? Oh dear God...oh dear...God?

I felt my jaw fall open. This guy...he was smiling? While being forced over and in this dire chokehold, I saw that big, stupid, crooked grin cover his entire face as if this was _fun_ for him. Wasn't he the least bit worried that he could actually get hurt? What the hell was this monster?

I saw his eyes connect with mine, and I swear his grin widened even more at the sight of me. He showed me his sharp canines, before biting down on his lip and finally kicking Gajeel's ankle and throwing him over his shoulder like a ragdoll. Gajeel fell still on the mat, and so did I in my chair.

The bell dinged.

* * *

Okay, lot's of blood. _Lots_ of blood. I stood up from my chair as Natsu was being announced the winner, blood spilling from his lips and nose, and I couldn't even bare to see Gajeel when standing up. I rushed to the grimy bathrooms, the hallways and lobby completely deserted as everyone watched the fight, and snuck past the bodyguards who preferred no one left. I calmed myself down in the mirror, trying to shake out the pictures of men beaten that badly and shivered. Okay, I'll admit, that was pretty awesome. Not that I'd become a regular fan or anything, but I can see why people like it now. I sighed and got out my keys from my bag, I think I can call this a night.

I wandered out to the hallways, swinging around my keychain on my finger and listened to the tap of my heels against the tile. People were still shouting from the arena, so I assumed everyone was still in there.

I heard a slam of a door and I jumped, my keys flying off my finger and sailing to the floor. A groan got stuck in my throat as they slid under a door, glancing up to the 'restricted' sign boldly posted on it.

I sighed, biting my lip. Was all of this really necessary?

I stepped up towards the door, gently pushing it open, and peeked my head inside towards the ground. Just a quick grab and go.

I leaned down and snatched up my keys, standing up and instantly stopping in my place. A pair of dark green eyes caught mine in his, refusing to let me go like a fish caught in a net. He looked startled, then...rather happy to see me.

Holy shit it was the Salamander.

The door slammed behind me and I snapped to it, whipping my head back towards him sitting casually on a bench.

He held an ice pack to his head, blood still smeared around his face and open wounds still unattended. He raised his pack in greeting, "Hey."

I shuffled uncomfortably, my voice soft, "Hi."

He arched an eyebrow, "You were with Erza right?"

I nodded, "Uh huh."

He nodded, looking impressed, "Nice."

I didn't really want to look at him, not that he was unattractive or anything, (he was actually kinda cute) but I just couldn't with his face all mangled like that. He looked liked every bone in his face was broken, it hurt just to look at.

"Uh, congrats on the win I guess," I said, scratching the back of my head.

I felt nervous. Was it because he was sort of famous? Or maybe because I wasn't supposed to be back here? Or because he obviously made it clear to check me out while being choked by a 250 pound man? Any one of those I'd like to think were good enough excuses.

"Thanks." He said, genuinely smiling at me. Wow, he was nice for someone so famous. And in such a mean line of work. "Glad to see you cheering for me."

I nodded in reply, keeping my head low from his face as I leaned against the wall. I saw him peek his head in my line of view. "Do I make you uncomfortable or something?"

I shook my head, scrunching up my nose in embarrassment, "No it's not you. Well, it is you."

He looked at me skeptically and I furiously thought of a better way to word that, "Not really you, just your face."

Yup, nailed it.

His eyes wandered, nodding slowly, and said nothing else.

"I'm sorry," I blurted, finally looking at him, "It's just..."

I waved my finger around my face, referring to his, and giving him a sympathetic look, "All the blood and bruises and stuff. It's hard to look at."

He seemed to understand me then, smiling, "You must be new at this?"

I nodded obviously.

"Looks really painful, aren't you going to fix it up?" I asked, worriedly.

He shrugged, "Eh, lotta work. Maybe later."

I gawked at him as a door flew open, two burly men walking in and staring straight at me. "Hey, no fangirls back here. Get back outside."

One of them grasped my arm and Natsu stood up, before a familiar face strolled through right behind them.

"Easy now Elfman, she's with me." Erza said, crossing her arms at me with a knowing look.

The man let my arm go gently, "Sorry Miss. We get a lot of strays back here."

"It's fine," I waved him off, smiling.

The two left us three together, and I stayed quiet as Erza congratulated him for his win and everything. She then studied his face, holding his chin as he pried from her fingers.

"Where's your med kit?" she asked.

"Locker." He answered, throwing the melted ice pack on the other bench.

Erza got out the first aid kit and sighed, "Damn, no stitches. I'll be right back guys, Lucy can you get started?"

I scrunched up my nose, I had to get up close with that face?

Natsu looked towards me expectantly, giving me a playful grin, and I sighed, "I guess."

Erza left and I sat next to him, facing his beaten face with the kit in my lap. I stared at all the wounds that covered literally every inch of his skin. Where the hell would I start?

He sniffed his nose, obviously in no rush to be properly healed. "So how'd you like the fight?"

I decided to pick up the tissues to clean all the blood from the wounds, giving him a distracted nod, "Great. You were really good. Got worried in the first half, but I'm glad you pulled through."

I wiped the bridge of his nose, cringing as I felt the bone poking from the side, and he flinched. He froze then, keeping a grunt in his mouth, "Thanks-"

"Jesus, I think your nose is broken," I cut him off from his casual remark, looking at the disorientation closer.

He shook his head, "It's fine, just work around it. So you're pretty close to Erza then? I'm surprised I haven't seen you before."

Why was he just shrugging this off as if this happened every day?

"Well..." I said, frankly way too distracted and concerned to being carrying this normal conversation, "It's not exactly my scene to be honest."

I saw him bite his lip, and I didn't know whether it was out of pain or just something that he casually did.

"What is your scene then?" He asked, his voice rough as I dabbed a deep cut on his forehead.

I sighed loudly, giving him a desperate look as I dropped my hand. "_I don't know_. Can you maybe get a real doctor for this? Go to a hospital?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm alright. You're doing great, keep going."

I exhaled a loud breath and scooted closer, trying to place bandaids on what didn't need to be stitched up and cleaning up what I could.

"So what was your name again?" He asked, staring at me.

"Shh." I shushed, trying to examine his bloody lip.

He waited for a moment, keeping his mouth shut, before he opened it up again, whispering, "You're really gentle."

"Sh-" I looked up to him, seeing him smiling down to me with a gleam in his eye. I kept my mouth shut then, forcing down the warmth spreading through me from my stomach.

I pulled on his lip gently, seeing how he bashed it against his teeth on the inside, despite the mouth piece. He then licked his lip, and simultaneously my finger too. I pulled away, giving him a disgusted look and saw him laughing.

"Accident. I swear."

I punched his left shoulder and wiped my finger on his shirt, "Gross."

He gave me a challenging look, "You wanna see gross?"

He sat up straight, forcing in a hiss of pain as he slowly lifted up his shirt around his right arm, until it uncovered his shoulder- and _oh_-

"No no no! No!" I yelled, stumbling to my feet and covering my face. Ew ew _ew_, _his freaking shoulder was dislocated_.

"I was getting around to placing it back in, but talking to you seemed like more fun." He laughed.

"You're a monster," I groaned, peeking at him from behind my hand.

"Oh, right, you're still a newbie." He said, a sharp gleam in his eye, "You haven't seen me angry yet."

I looked at him skeptically, "I can't picture you angry."

He gave half a shrug with his good shoulder, "Guess that means you hafta come back and watch me again now."

He gave me a little mischievous smile, and I mimicked him sarcastically, "Hm, I doubt it."

He nodded, his eyes wandering as if he was musing it over, and looked back to me directly, "How 'bout a deal?"

I rose an eyebrow.

"You come to my next show, and _stay_, and I won't relocate my shoulder right here in front of you."

My body froze. He got on his knees on the floor and pressed his shoulder on the edge of the bench, a smirk on his lips as he stared at me expectantly. My jaw dropped, and I started to shake my head, before stopping.

"No?" he asked.

"Don't you dare," I whispered, holding up my finger in warning.

"So you'll come then?" He questioned.

So then what? I could just watch him dislocate it again?

I bit my cheek, scrunching up my lips in defeat, "Fine, fine! Just stand up."

He grinned widely, nodding at me, before his face falling to slight dismay, "Actually, I still need to relocate this, it's starting to hurt now."

My eyes grew wide, "WAIT-"

_CRACK_

I screamed. Almost as loud as he yelled actually, but _oh my god_ this absolute fucking monster, _how dare he_? Didn't he know how much that _physically_ pained me to watch? Jesus Christ, what a jerk _oh my god __why isn't he moving?_

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**Review? And thanks so much for the past compliments on the spy au, they were really nice :))**


	16. Panic

**Panic**

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"NATSU!"

I dropped the cookie in my hand to the floor and stared at the doorway, a black void freezing me in my place. Crap. Did she know I was stealing her food? How did she always know? Well that was a stupid question, Erza always knew.

Ugh. She's been driving me up the wall with her pregnancy stuff, all the weird cravings and waddling around, and dear God the mood swings were the worst. I've had to babysit her since I owed Jellal a favor and he decided it would be a good idea to run out of town when she was practically a watermelon.

"NATSU!"

I sighed, dragging my feet back towards the bedroom. "Coming."

I heard a pained groan and stopped, hurrying forward. I came in and saw her hunched over, holding her swollen stomach with her legs and floor all wet.

"The baby's coming." She panted, hissing back another groan.

I let my jaw drop. Ohhh…_shit_.

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"What the hell do I do?" I blurted.

She waddled her way over and past me out the bedroom door, ignoring me. I gawked at her as she went towards the garage, her voice low and threatening, "Where is Jellal?"

She pushed herself inside the passenger seat, tossing me the keys. Okay. She could handle this herself then? Either that or she wanted me to have nothing to do with this.

"I don't know, still out of town," I answered, starting up the car.

She groaned again, yet I don't think it was because of the baby wanting to come out of her. I drove to the hospital, the panic within me bubbling over as she started yelling really loudly. I've seen Erza take a few hits while fighting some tough guys, but I have _never_ heard her scream like that before and it was frankly _freaking me the fuck out._

"Just relax okay!" I blurted, seeing her try to open her door.

I helped her out of the car, and she held onto me desperately. Another long, painful groan slipped out of her mouth as she stood up. Jesus Christ, was this going to be the only thing in the world to defeat Erza? What the hell?

The nurses immediately took her away towards the emergency rooms, waving me over to follow. She waddled down the hallway, holding onto the nurses arms and I hesitantly followed. Was I supposed to be with her? Wait-oh shit, did I have watch her give birth?

"Lucy! Room 202, we have to help someone else!" A nurse said, waving someone behind me over.

"Okay!" I saw a blonde head rush past me and finish helping Erza into the room.

I peeked my head into the room, seeing the nurse help her onto the bed and hike her skirt up her legs, pulling off her underwear. I hesitantly walked in, diverting my eyes literally anywhere else because _oh god I was so not ready for this.  
_  
The nurse pulled the blanket over her then, looking up and smiling at me. "Alright guys, what's your name? Is this your due date?"

"Yes, Erza Fernandez," she answered, biting down on her lip.

"Okay," she wrote something down on a clipboard and placed a hand on her stomach gently, "The contractions seem about six minutes apart, the baby should be coming soon. You're lucky you got here in time."

Erza yelled again, pressing her head into the pillow and I cringed by her side. I felt my heart in my throat, I didn't know what to do. _What do I do what do I do?_

"Erza?" The nurse called out softly, holding her shoulder. She stared into her eyes, amazingly, given the glare the demon had and smiled, "Everything's going to be fine, you're doing great right now but we need to wait a while longer."

Erza panted, nodding slightly and exhaled. Holy shit-she actually calmed down a little?

I looked up to the nurse, looking down to the name tag pinned on her shirt. Lucy. Wow, she was really goo-

"AH!"

I yelled along with Erza as she clamped down on my hand, digging her nails into my skin relentlessly. I bit back a whimper, forcing my mouth shut.

Lucy pressed her hand on Erza's swollen stomach again, shushing her quietly until she calmed down again. She whispered comforting words to her and she let up on my hand, holding onto my two fingers instead.

I can't believe it. How did she do that? What kind of magical being was able to tame her? Who was this girl?

Another contraction hit Erza and she bit back another howl, writhing on the bed as Lucy held her from moving too much. She blew a hair out of her face, still managing to smile at me cringing in pain. Her nails dug into my skin again.

"Are you the father? It's going to be okay," she soothed me, freezing me in my place.

"What?" I breathed, creasing my eyebrows, "No no no, I'm just a friend, I–no."

"Oh?" She asked, then shrugged, "Well, either way, Erza's doing great."

Erza started panting again, a long groan falling from her lips. Her hair was slick in sweat and cluttered on her forehead, her chest heaving up and down.

"Natsu," she moaned, gripping my hand again and glaring at me, "Where is Jellal!"

"I don't know! I left him a message, he didn't answer!" I blurted, hissing as she stabbed me again.

"Go get him! NOW!" She ordered, throwing her head back into the pillow to scream out again.

What? How did she expect me to do that?

"We just have to wait Erza, he's on his way!" I said quickly. Hopefully.

I heard a beeping start then, and glanced up. Lucy looked at some weird device from her pocket, sighing out. She tossed her bangs out of her face, staring back down to Erza again.

How was she so calm? How was she so _nice_? This girl honestly mesmerized me, she knew all of the things Erza needed to hear, and I probably would've been without a hand by now if we were alone.

"Okay, your contractions are still around 3-4 minutes, but I'm afraid someone else just called me in." She sighed, "Someone will come by in about five to ten minutes to check up."

I froze. Wait…_what?_ Someone else? Five to ten minutes? ALONE?

"Wo-Woah wait!"

I saw her in the doorway, trying to pry Erza's death grip off of me and stepped in front of her way out, ushering her back. "Wait, wait–just wait."

"What's wrong?" She asked, her eyes worried.

I stopped to gather a breath, my panic floodgates still _very_ wide open might I add, and her hazel eyes connected with mine. I felt all my thoughts flush out then, nothing coming out of my mouth until I looked away.

"You can't go okay, you can't. I don't-I don't know what or how to deal with this, _I'm not the dad okay_, I'm not ready for this. I've never had a kid before. I've barely made out with a girl before so this is _way_ beyond my timing and…"

"What?" She whispered, looking at me weirdly.

Lucy rose an eyebrow, and I sighed out, trying to calm myself down. She probably didn't need to know that, but I was honestly just talking here.

"Please don't go, she's calm with you and believe me, I've seen her when she's angry and that back there is not even close yet and I _honest to God_ don't want to see the full affect yet. You make her relaxed and until Jellal gets here, I need you to keep her that way or else she'll kill me or I'll end up fainting or something." I blurted, my chest heaving into hers in the doorway.

She nodded slowly at me, her lips parting slightly and her voice low, "I have other patients that need to give birth right now, I can't just-"

"_Please._" I begged, holding onto her arms, "I will literally do _anything you want_, please just stay. I need you. I am terrified right now, which is also something I am completely new at so now I am twice as likely to go crazy."

I felt my heart hammering against my chest. I have never been so stressed out in my life before, holy shit. Erza was still screaming across the room and I could _literally_ feel my blood clot or rise or whatever the hell the phrase was, point being _I'm going to die like this.  
_  
She held her hands in front of me, her expression still light and hushed me, "Okay okay, everything will be alright."

"See? Just like that, how do you do that?" I breathed out, feeling my nerves swarm away.

She let on a nice little smile, looking up to me and I just felt the world relax a bit. She was so great, so so great.

She shook her head at me, exhaling, "I will go see if someone can take my call, can you wait here for a few minutes?"

I nodded eagerly, and she smiled again. "Okay, I'll be right back."

I watched her leave down the hallway and start talking to the other nurses, feeling my phone buzz. I checked it and nearly cried of relief. Jellal was on his way.

"NATSU!"

I turned back to Erza yelling behind me. _Well, there goes my blood pressure again._

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After what seemed like hours, luckily Lucy came and they had to start letting Erza give birth._Great_. I was forced to be the makeshift daddy until _fucking_ Jellal got here, probably with a smoothie or some shit–and _dear God this hurts so bad._

I thought Erza held my hand tightly before, she was about to _scratch_ all of my skin off now. I'm not kidding, I think I'm bleeding.

Lucy still helped. Thank God. She kept Erza calmer than what she could've been and she was a literal angel. I've already seen the gates of hell, the last thing I needed to see was Satan himself giving birth without any comfort whatsoever.

Erza was screaming. Like I was afraid she was ripping up her throat by doing that. I kind of screamed along with her? Wasn't my best moment in life, but hey, I'm scared to death right now you can't blame me.

"Natsu _where is he_?" Erza yelled, fisting my hand again.

I bit back a groan, "I don't know-"

"I'M HERE!" The door slammed into the wall, catching everyone's glance and Jellal stood in all his glory, smiling wider than the day they got married.

"_OhthankGod_," I blurted, falling down to the ground and crawling away.

"What the fuck! Where were you?" Erza snapped, clamping her hand around his now.

I crawled to the back wall now, sitting on the floor as Jellal yelped at her hand, still trying to explain himself. Oh well. It was his problem now. I let my head fall to the back wall, sighing out in what felt like days since I've had no pressure now.

I heard a short laugh, looking up to see Lucy smiling down to her clipboard. She glanced back to me then, her hazel eyes still, under all the circumstances, as light and zen as an angel itself. Wow.

The doctor finished with Erza only a few minutes later, giving her baby to cradle in her arms. I stood up then, everyone quieting down to hear the newborn cry loudly in a blanket.

_Holy shit._ It was over. _It was over_ and I survived! I mean, yeah, congrats for Erza too but _holy shit I survived!_ I laughed finally, hearing soft cheering through the room.

"Congratulations-uH-!"

I picked Lucy up, pressing my cheek to her chest and heard her squeak a bit. I held her tightly, swaying her in my arms with my voice muffled, "Oh my god thank you so much Lucy, you are beautiful and perfect and I love you, you saved me."

I heard her sputter as I put her down, grinning widely to her. Her cheeks were stained pink and her eyes were looking basically anywhere but mine, and I honestly couldn't think of anything cuter.

"You're ridiculous," she sighed, pushing herself out of my arms.

"And I owe you something. Anything, anything you want." I said to her, seeing her blush again at my stare.

"I was just doing my job, it's fine." She insisted.

"You deserve it, don't worry I'll think of something to get you," I said, seeing her shake her head.

"No, really-"

"What do you like? You seem like a kind of a history buff, but maybe you just remind me of a friend who likes that stuff. Jewelry? Girls like that stuff right?"

"Sir-"

"Oh I'm Natsu by the way, but you probably got that when Erza was screaming it. How about a road trip? Anywhere you'd like."

"_Natsu._" She held onto my shoulders, letting my eyes fall into hers and finally shut up. She looked like she was about to say something serious, but then she gave me a look. "You're really offering me a road trip?"

I nodded.

"Like in your car? Alone? Going to the middle of nowhere? You really think I'd say yes to that?" She questioned.

I shrugged. "If you'd like."

She closed her eyes then, bringing a hand to her temple, "Look you really don't need to pay me. I was happy to help, and you were nice enough to me. There's no debt here, I promise."

I nibbled on my cheek, still feeling the other way around in my gut. She looked to me expectantly, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"Nah, I gotta get you something."

She exhaled loudly, letting her head droop and licked her lips. I smiled at that, and saw her look up again with half of her own. "Whatever."

"Lucy we got another call, we should probably head out and let Mira handle this." The doctor said, pointing out towards the hallway.

"Yes sir." She nodded, looking at me before she passed by.

I watched her head towards the door, catching a look before she left.

"So it's settled? The road trip then?" I asked, smiling.

She looked back to me, gaping, before she scoffed and left, shaking her head. That's a maybe then? Eh, maybe not. I would definitely get her something though. Maybe dinner? Everyone liked food. She looks like she likes flowers too, maybe those also.

This kinda sounds like a date actually…hm. I hope she wouldn't mind that then.

I sure wouldn't.

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**I do figure Natsu would be absolutely clueless and scared af when it comes to giving birth, so hopefully this will tickle your sides a bit :)**

**Review?**


	17. You Heard Me Take It Off

**"You heard me. Take it off."**

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I knew I said I wouldn't laugh at him, but oh wow did I underestimate my willpower.

Natsu stood in front of me now, his arms crossed over each other and face twisted in the most uncomfortable way I've ever seen him before. I was really holding back now. He had _glitter _covering his skin and oil rubbed all over him, highlighting his muscles and body tone.

I felt the beat of the music through the walls, it was going crazy outside and I don't think Natsu was ready to take all of this in just yet. Hah. Oh well.

"Alrighty, take it off." I sighed, planting my hands on my hips.

He looked up to me then, growing even more embarrassed, "What?"

I nodded down to his robe, smirking, "You heard me. _Take it off._"

He swallowed thickly, his eyes widening as a loud voice boomed through the speakers.

"Now introducing, Natsu Dragneels very own, Dragon Dance!"

He whipped back to me gaping, "Lucy I don't know about this!"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh suck it up Natsu. What? You don't like playing the honeypot in these kinds of missions?"

He looked to me desperately then, now remembering all the times he made me dress up and do stuff I didn't like.

I clapped my hands, grinning, "Let's go! Showtime!"

A backstage worker came up then and fixed his appearance up, dragging a hand through his hair and tugging off his robe. I slapped a hand to my mouth then, holding back the biggest laugh I've ever felt come up.

He was in shiny boyshorts with a freaking _handprint_ right on his ass. Oh what a glorious day this was.

He held his hands over his crotch, standing right in front of the curtains that led to the stage. He breathed in and out, cracking his neck.

The crowd went wild for a second and the lady pushed him out, the high pitched screams wailing in the distance. I rushed outside back towards the crowd, gaping at him on the stage.

And before you ask anymore questions, _yes_, this is for a mission. We got a call from this guy offering over 100,00 jewels just to see if his wife was willing to cheat on him. It was ridiculous, but holy shit is that a lot of money for a task like this. He was always suspicious of her, but tonight he wanted to know for sure, and we were gonna make that happen.

The guy set the entire thing up, having Natsu in a _strip club_ and try to seduce his wife. It was utterly amazing, and I couldn't be happier. That jerk never realized how annoying it was to always be picked out to try and 'seduce' people with every mission we had. Now he had a taste of his own medicine, and I don't think he's tasted anything more bitter.

I pushed my way through the crowd, coming up against the stage, staring up to this dork trying to dance around. He looked awkward in the face, but the ladies here only seemed to be staring at his abs. I cheered along with them, catching his glare and clapped loudly. He really did look kind of hot, actually.

I stepped up next to the wife, grinning to her. "He's sexy right?"

She glanced over to me, smiling, "Oh yeah, definitely!"

We both watched as Natsu did some push-ups on the stage with one hand, giving a grin to the ladies cheering in front of him. He stood up then, his eyes bugging out as all these girls dipped their hands in his tight little shorts, dollar bills poking out of the top. He gaped to me then, looking absolutely shocked and turned around quickly. I held back another laugh.

I turned back to the wife…Sarah I think her name was, and pointed up to Natsu again, "You know, I think after the show he's free to 'go backstage with', ya know?"

Sarah looked to me, her eyes seductive, "Really now?"

I nodded eagerly, "Oh yeah, I heard he was…_great_ too."

I bit down on my lip hard, trying _so_ hard not to _burst_ out laughing right now. Dear god, did I really just say that? Natsu was good in bed? He's never even kissed a girl, oh shit!

Sarah elbowed me then, "Sounds like a plan then, thanks!"

I looked to her, giving a big fake smile, "No problem!"

Yikes, was she really gonna pull through with this? Poor guy, maybe she'll skimp out at the last moment.

Natsu came back around, making it clear to check Sarah out and finally finished up his little performance, the crowd going wild. I nudged Sarah again, nodding up to him flexing.

"You know I can introduce you, me and him are pretty close," I told her.

She gave me a devious look, turning towards me with a bite of her lip, "Pretty close huh? So you know first hand how he is behind those curtains?"

I puffed out my cheeks, smiling, "Ah, of course! And let me tell you, you will not be disappointed!" I laughed.

"Great!" Sarah clapped.

The crowd slowly disbanded around the stage, spreading out around the club and I let Sarah follow me back towards where Natsu jumped off the stage. He looked like he got a breath of relief, which I hope he did because _wow_, was he not going to like this.

"Natsu!" I called.

He looked over to me then, sighing out, "Oh hey-"

"Hey, have you met Sarah?" I cut him off, my voice going shrill.

Sarah peeked her head from behind me, approaching him with a flirtatious smile, "Hi. You were great up there."

"Thanks," he drifted off, sliding his eyes to me slowly, and full of panic.

I stepped up next to Sarah, lacing my arm with hers, "I think Sarah here actually _really_ like your performance, so I was thinking maybe you could show her around? You know, to the back?"

I glanced to the curtain across the room that said 'PRIVATE' above it, looking back to him expectantly. He followed my gaze, his lips parting and saw Sarah smiling cheekily.

"Oh…" He drifted off, looking back to the wife, "Right."

She stepped forward, her eyes lidded with lust and tapped a nail on his chest, "I've heard that you have some nice moves up your sleeve, I was just curious to see what those might be? You know, up close?"

He stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. "_Oh._"

I stepped behind Sarah, widening my eyes at him, "I'm sure he would love to show you those moves. They don't call him the _dragon_ for nothing."

He gaped at me as Sarah took his hand, giggling, "Well I'd like to experience that first hand…"

I watched, sympathetically as she led him back towards the private section. He stared at me, desperately, and I just shook my head.

'It's okay!' I mouthed, waving him off.

He didn't seem any less scared though. It would be okay, I mean, I wasn't a monster, I wouldn't let him do it like this if it honestly freaked him out that much. I just needed to find the husband and catch her before they got too far, no big deal.

I rushed outside then, realizing I only had so much time and got him out of his car, telling him his plan worked. I led him back inside and through the curtain, stopping on my feet. Oh _shit_.

There were dozens of rooms, _little_ rooms. All covered by some measly curtain.

Oh god, and others were doing it behind them all? Not good, not good at all.

"Which one is it?" He asked me.

"Uh," I breathed, stalking down the hallway, "I'm…not sure."

"What?" He whispered at me, angrily.

I shrugged at him, giving him a scared look and whipped down the hallway again. Okay okay, no need to freak out Lucy, you can find him easily, just relax and try to ignore all the _really_ loud sex noises surrounding you.

I peeked in and out of curtains near the end, holding my breath at each one and shrieking at all of them. This was hell, it really was. And Natsu was gonna kill me.

I took in a breath, peeking in another curtain and felt my eyes bulge. The husband next to me did the same, whipping open the curtain.

"Sarah!" He shouted.

I stared at them, completely frozen. She was kissing him, to put modestly, with her tongue practically shoved down his throat. She whipped apart from him then, leaving him looking very alarmed, and actually looked like a child with her hand caught down the cookie jar.

Except…that cookie jar was more like Natsu's shorts.

He pulled away from her then, seeing the husband grab her hand away from him and take her out of the bed, back out to the lounge. I honestly still couldn't move though, because _wow_, I don't think I can ever unsee that.

"Gee, thanks for coming in time!" He yelled at me, hopping the bed.

"I am so sorry," I blurted, "I didn't know which one you were in."

I walked next to him down the hallway, and he seemed a little more than annoyed. "It was never supposed to go that far."

He shivered next to me, crossing his arms, "I feel violated."

I frowned at him, holding his arm, "Aw I'm sorry."

He sighed out as we exited the hallway, seeing Sarah and her husband fighting in the middle of the lounge. "Well, mission accomplished at least."

We saw them head out now, Sarah following her husbands trail with a blurt of apologizes. We slowly followed in her footsteps, and I saw Natsu lick his lips, cringing a bit.

"That was my first kiss." He stated, not looking too happy about it.

I looked to him then, realizing that myself and actually felt a pang of sympathy. And also a little humor.

"How was it?" I shrugged.

He stared at me bluntly, huffing. "Not all that great. I don't think I like it."

"Oh come on," I said, turning around to face him, "It was just a bad first experience, they're not all like that."

He didn't look convinced, "Don't think I'm willing to try anymore anyways."

Okay, I couldn't help but frown. He looked like a _kicked_ puppy right now, and it made my heart sink in my chest. A shiver ran through me as a thought popped up in my head. Oh, what the hell.

I stared at his drooped head, holding in a breath and leaned forward. I dipped my head under and pressed my lips to his, hearing him inhale sharply.

He raised his head up, not exactly kissing me back, but kind of just staying in place. I let go, finding him staring at me already with the most shocked expression I've seen him ever have.

I swallowed, my stomach churning, "Not so terrible right?"

He didn't say anything for a while and I started to worry that maybe that didn't help at all. Possibly even worse? Maybe.

He shook his head then, it was small, I almost didn't catch it, but he finally smiled at me.

"Good." I smiled back, holding onto his hand. "Now let's get you into some real clothing Casanova."

He perked up at that, as if realizing he was still wearing those little shorts and walked away quickly, "Holy shit these things are tight~"

I watched him hurry away, still spewing complaints and laughed. I didn't mean to look, but wow I can't help it now. They did look _really_ tight. And that handprint was still on his ass.

Hm…_not bad._

I bit my lip as another thought popped up in my head. Oh that would be _hilarious_.

I rushed over by my bag and grabbed a camera, hurrying up backstage to the fitting room. I peeked my head in, catching Natsu looking for his clothes still and raised the lens to my eye.

_FLASH  
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I gaped as he whipped around, his jaw dropping as well.

"LUCY-"

I burst out laughing as he tripped over a coat rack trying to catch me and darted back outside, checking out the picture. I nearly burst out laughing again just looking at it.

Oh yeah, this'll be one for the books.

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**Saw a post on tumblr about how every time in these fighter movies and shows, they always have the one girl dress up as the honeypot and have to look all pretty in a red dress and stuff, so I figured this would be a cute way to show boys how awkward it can be for them and dehumanizing. XD **

**Review?**


	18. Come Over Here And Make Me

**"Come over here and make me."**

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"Lucy I swear, if you don't give me that camera-"

I cut him off by laughing, staring at the photo he so desperately wanted deleted. It was just him, wearing some very _inappropriate_ clothing from the last mission, but along with the threat that it'll be sent to Gray for blackmailing, had him more serious than any fight I've seen him in.

"Oh whattya gonna do?" I sang, holding it up, "Fight me?"

I knew Natsu saw me as nearly the opposite of what he saw Gray as, and even though we could sometimes messed around, him picking me up was about the worst he'd ever do to me.

He stared at me then, his tone deep, "Lucy give it to me, right now."

I scoffed at him, smirking, and threw him a challenging look I knew he couldn't refuse.

"_Come over here and make me._"

He looked startled by that, all apparent seriousness dissolving from his features, and let out a laugh, "You don't think I will?"

I rolled my eyes, playing with the camera noticeably, "Oh I know you won't."

He stared at me then, a gleam in his eye that made me particularly nervous to what unpredictable action he was planning, and saw him grin. He jumped over the couch, crossing the room in a blink and I laughed, backing up to the wall. I held my camera behind my back, seeing him come up close to me.

"Give me it," he demanded.

I shook my head stubbornly, biting down a smile.

"_Yes_, give me it." He said again, pressing his hands to my hips.

I finally laughed as he tried snaking his arms around me to grab it, shoving his chest with my shoulder and moving it from his grasp. I felt him tickle my sides and I shrieked out, curling into his hand. I turned around from him and lifted up the camera in the air, pushing him with my other arm.

"Gimme it!" He yelled, lifting me up from my waist.

I laughed loudly, writhing from him and tossed the camera on the floor. We both froze as our eyes followed it, Natsu whipping back to me and made a jump for it. I shoved him as he let me go, diving on the floor for it and crawled on my knees.

I laughed out as he tugged my ankle back and dragged me back, jumping over me. He dropped to the floor and snatched it up, letting out an "OOF" as I tackled him down.

I literally could not let him have this camera, this is the first real thing I've had the upper hand on before and I'd be damned if I let him get it _again_.

I sat up now, a knee on his chest and the camera fitting snugly in my palm, a smug smirk I couldn't help on my lips. He stared at me, annoyed, and leaned up on his elbows, as much as he could anyways.

"You know this is my private property, I could sue you for thievery." I threatened, raising a brow.

He shrugged then, making a weak attempt to catch my hand, "Wouldn't be the first time any one of us has been sued before."

He made another attempt and I jerked back accidentally, my knee slipping off him and onto the other side. His hand reached out again as I laughed at him, anxiously reaching my hand in my shirt. I held a finger at him and stuffed the camera in my breasts, seeing him reel back.

"Oh that's dirty," he scoffed up to me. He reached his hand out again though, still reluctantly, "You realize this isn't the first time my hand has gone down your shirt right?"

I pulled my chest back away from him, "Oh yeah, go ahead and try."

He would have to be the _stupidest_ guy on earth to even try now, and yes, I was playing dirty. Oh well, I don't care. I already knew I won.

"You don't think I won't?" He challenged, staring at me boldly.

I gave his stare right back at him, crossing my arms over my bust, "Oh I _dare_ you. Go ahead, try! See what happens!"

I saw his hands hovering over my chest, his head still wracking gears for a new plan and I seriously had to hold in the biggest laugh at the face he made. I actually waited to see what he do, with much amusement naturally. I liked to see him even try, he knew that would practically be as good as a black eye, and I was just hoping that he would be bright enough to know that it was a bad idea.

He made another weak attempt to dip his hands down my shirt and I slapped his hand away pathetically, watching him recoil and groan loudly. He glared at me and my smile, and decided to…completely outsmart me.

He pressed his finger at my waist, making me shriek and giggle like a _kid_ and let my arms move from my chest to my hips. I felt his hands go _under_ my shirt and up from the bottom, his palm against my stomach and actually _feel_ me up for the camera.

I gaped at him, a furious blush on my cheeks and hit his arm through my shirt. "_Natsu!_ Oh my god!"

I felt him grab the camera and I leaned over, forcing his hand against my stomach so he would let go. I heard him laughing below me, trying to take his hand back and heard a bunch of little noises coming from the thing. We both froze in our places, me sitting on top of him, and him underneath me as the sound of a _flash_ silenced both of us.

A light popped up behind my shirt and I felt my jaw drop, looking back up to him doing the same. Usually that wouldn't be all that terrible, yet unfortunately this wasn't one the cases.

Because I wasn't wearing a _fucking_ bra.

He burst out laughing then, yanking his hand out and flipping me over off of him. I fell to the floor, seeing him staring at the screen to the camera and screeched at him.

"Natsu give me that!" I yelled, jumping on his back.

I felt him push me back from his hand, his shoulder on my stomach, and his grin wide and happy, "Holy shit, that's like a HD photo."

He showed me the screen from where he sat, his grin wicked as a picture of my _boobs_ were on display for his eyes to take up shamelessly.

"Give me that right now," I demanded, reaching for it helplessly.

He looked amused then, "Oh what's the matter? You don't like a certain photo on here? Gee that must suck."

I sat back as he turned to me, a smug smirk on his lips and a gleam in his eye as he glanced to the camera, "And you know, I think you were right. Gray _would_ love to see what this camera has to offer."

I let my lips part at him, narrowing my eyes, "Are _you_ trying to blackmail me now?"

He gave a weak little shrug, but that smirk of his said it all. I glared at him, reaching for his hand and he jerked away, laughing. I caught the camera again, but he was holding it like his life counted on it.

"Give it!" I yelled, tugging my hand back.

He only sat there, keeping an iron grip on it and watched me make a complete fool of myself as I moved around about ten different ways to yank it out of his hand. I finally pried his fingers open and laughed as he started freaking out. He pulled his arm back and pushed me over, clenching his hand again.

I groaned out at that, _damn_ I almost had it!

Natsu sat now, his body laid between my legs and forced his hand away from mine. He held the camera high above me, laughing as he pinned me down, and I made the mistake of reaching for it again. He held it away from me, leaning forward to hold my wrists above my head and gave me a look.

"Let me go, you are not showing anyone that picture." I growled, writhing under him.

He pinned my wrists down tighter, shrugging a bit, "Maybe. Though I still think my revenge is unpaid for for taking that picture in the first place."

He held the shutter up to his eye, making me look away from him, "Stop! No pictures!"

I didn't hear him take any, but he kept it to his eye as a childish threat. All I heard was him laughing like a little kid above me and I sighed out, rolling my eyes.

"What? You want something now?" I glowered at him.

He thought for a moment, a little smile crawling up his lips, "Yeah, actually."

He leaned down over me, letting my wrists go and I felt his arms rest beside my head, a sly gleam in his eye. "I want you, and your bed."

My cheeks flared up, a scoff leaving my lips, "What?"

"You have to do anything that I say, _and_ I get to sleep in your bed for a week. No complaining." He clarified.

I breathed out a gigantic sigh, letting my head fall back. Jesus, could this moron word that _any_worse? He sounded like…you know what, whatever.

I stared at him now, leaning over me, still smiling like a complete idiot and I suddenly became _very_aware of my surroundings. And I was very aware of how compromising a position we were bound to be caught in.

"You're so annoying. And I'm _not _wearing that maids costume." I glared at him.

He laughed at that, grinning, "Maid costume? Man you totally read my mind!"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes away from him and shook my head. I still felt his arms trapping mine above my head, freezing me from what would be a sassy arm cross, but I had to settle.

"What is with you and that thing?" I muttered, looking at him through my eyelashes.

He shrugged down to me, his grin crooked, "I like you in it."

I didn't notice how close he had come to me until I felt his breath hit my lips. He hovered right above me, inches away, and he didn't seem to either notice or care at all. I took in a shaky breath, staring at him in a daze. It was all I was allowed to look at either way. Him and those green eyes I always forget he had.

"Fine." I whispered.

He smiled a bit then, the corner of his lips turning up into the crooked, goofy little grin he always held. Except that was as far as he held it. It didn't turn into the face-splitting smile that it usually did, but just settled at that one corner raising. It wasn't a smirk, but, almost like he was holding it back. Why?

He switched his eyes between mine, and I felt his chest press closer against mine, his lips now centimeters from mine. I let mine part subconsciously, his gaze paralyzing me.

He let his smile grow then, showing his teeth, "Deal."

He fell silent after that, his eyes still light in amusement, yet there was something about that playfulness he held that had shivers crawling through me. I felt his breath against my lips with every exhale he took, practically taking mine from my lungs all the while. He had me still. I felt his weight bearing on my chest, but I've never felt lighter.

Did…I want him to kiss me? I had absolutely no idea. But, what was I thinking? This was _Natsu_, I mean…we weren't in that _zone_ of relationship.

Were we?

I saw his eyes finally move from mine, letting me catch a breath and glance down. He was staring at my lips.

He didn't move, though. He simply gazed back up to me then, letting his eyes fall into the apparent abyss set in mine.

"Oh my god, KISS ALREADY!"

We jerked apart at that, whipping towards the window. Literally _everyone_ sat behind the window crack, Cana slapping a hand over her mouth.

Erza slapped her arm, glaring at her and I gawked at them. _Have they been watching us the entire time?_

"What? It's fucking agonizing."

I saw Natsu look back down to me, an eyebrow raised and a look on his face. He leaned back over to me then, his expression casual.

"It's not like the world will end right?" He shrugged, smiling a bit.

I felt a familiar flash of our encounter with Asuka, resisting rolling my eyes again. What was with him and this stuff? Why was he so casual about being completely fine with kissing me?

I held my breath as he leaned in closer, color staining my cheeks and my heart thudding against my ribs. He came closer, agonizingly slow, as if waiting for a reaction out of me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I wanted to pull him closer or away. I merely sat there, and waited.

He got close enough to have to look away from my eyes, letting his gaze drift down to my lips again. I felt his eyes on them. I didn't know how, but it was almost like a pressure I felt from it. It was absolutely enticing.

He hesitated, a breath away from my lips. I felt his brush against mine, parting them open and pressing down gently. I felt a wave of sparks flow me, from my fingers to my toes. He let go sooner than I expected, or, admittedly, wanted. He hovered though, not letting up, and I felt his chest rise against mine as he leaned in closer.

He deepened it, kissing me again, and lingered longer on this one, and I couldn't help but press back. _Jesus_, wow.

He finally pulled back, hovering over my lips again, and sat up to the side, smiling all the while, "Not so terrible right?"

I just laid there, twisting my lips and lightly shook my head. He stared at me then, his grin growing wider at every passing second.

I stayed there, still, thoughts whirling around in my head and decided to take a minute to figure it out. Yet, the longer he sat there, watching me with utter amusement and admiration, I felt that one thought pop up one too many times for me to just ignore.

_I wanted to kiss him._

I liked it, and I liked him, and _wow_, did I want to kiss him again.

Everything else went sorta blank, and nothing made me more relieved. I leaned up, smiling back to him and pushed my way between his arms, my breath hitting his lips now.

I hesitated though, a thought popping up into my head, and slowly glanced to the corner of my eye, where an eager crowd of eyes sat, staring. I raised an eyebrow at them, everyone suddenly scurrying and whispering away, out of sight. I let out a laugh, gazing back to Natsu in front of me doing the same, yet staring at me instead.

I waited a moment, before pressing my lips to his quickly and reeled back. My stomach still fell into knots real fast from that, and I honestly couldn't help the smile.

I played with his scarf, running my fingers over the material and saw him just sit there, waiting patiently for me to continue it. He seemed more than happy than to just wait and make me feel more embarrassed than I already was, so I just…gave in.

I rolled my eyes, tugging his scarf and practically crashing my lips on his. I felt him grin against me, wrapping his arms around my back and mine around his neck. He kissed me back fully, pulling me onto his lap again and deepened it.

I laughed a bit, a thought popping up into my head again and let my fingers run against his arms, dragging my nails against it. I let my hand travel to his wrist and snatched the camera from his hand, pulling back quickly.

"Got it!" I cheered, standing up and circling behind him.

He smiled as he followed me, seeing me shaking the thing in my hand. I went through the photo's, deleting my nude picture and kept his, grinning smugly.

"There. Now you're back under my control again," I laughed.

He simply came up to me, taking back the camera and…tossed it aside. It bounced off somewhere I never got to see, because he pressed me up against the wall then, his hands in my hair and on my neck, and lips pressed deeply onto mine.

I exhaled into his mouth, that wave of sparks flowing through me again and felt his arm wrap around me, pressing me up into his chest. Like he knew I was about to melt right then and there. I felt nothing more absolutely captivating when he held me like that.

He kept his arms around me, moving every second to try and pull me as close as I would get; he nearly had me on my toes. Every time I set my feet on the ground he pushed me flushed against him, like he couldn't decide if he wanted me against the wall or himself.

He kissed me fiercely, yet I could still feel that hint of a giddy, childish grin against my lips, and I don't think that was something that would ever go away. And I have to say, there was nothing more satisfying than being able to kiss the smile that has made me so happy for all these years.

I started laughing now, thinking about all the stuff that he's done that has honestly made me love him so much. He started laughing as well, finally pulling away, "What?"

I shook my head, bringing a finger to my lips, "Oh nothing. Just thinking of all the ways I can blackmail you with."

He stared at me, playfully offended, and suddenly let a grin slip on his lips. "Well, you can't blackmail me if there's no picture."

We both stilled after that, in a rather tense moment and glanced to the camera beside us. I made a leap for it, and he snagged my waist. Again.

Ah, okay. _Back to square one._

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**Not necessarily a sequel, but I suppose it can be read as a continuation to the last chapter. Double chapter today, I just finished the fourth chapter to The Spy Upstairs, so I'm feelin good :))**

**Review?**


	19. The Office

**The Office**

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Working at a paper company wasn't exactly the most exciting job I've ever had, or planned to ever have. It was nice though, my coworkers were…insane, but they were also like my family. We joked and had crises on the daily, most of which either I or the officer manager Erza had to fix.

Erza wasn't new to the office, but she was new to the whole 'commander in charge' profession. She held an iron fist over the company, compared to Makarov's easygoing hold before he retired. Everyone loved her, but there was always a part of everyone where they had nightmares about her at some point or another. Now that she held the power, the sucking up and ass kissing was honestly just sad.

I walked in for another day of grind and came over to the only person I felt completely comfortable with talking to casually. His name was Natsu, and he was the security guard for the front doors, which I honestly never understood why we needed. Who would hold up a paper company building?

He sat at a desk on the first floor, and I had to go up three floors to my branch. We didn't actually get to talk much, but we always made it a habit to catch each other in the morning and at lunch, and he even walked me to my car most nights. He was super funny and nice, though the amount of teasing he shot at me always got under my skin, but that merely seemed like a motivation for him.

I leaned over the counter, seeing him doing something on the computer before he glanced up to me, smiling at the sight.

"Hey you," I said, reaching over for his cup on the table.

"Hey," he raised an eyebrow, watching me take a sip of his coffee. "Wanna get your own?"

"All the way upstairs," I shrugged, sighing. I leaned forward and looked to his computer screen, gaping at the sight.

"You're watching netflix?" I whispered.

A crooked smile slid across his lips, "Nothing else to do. No one's going to rob this place anyways."

I shook my head at him, jealous, "You have the easiest job. You realize if Erza catches you though, you're dead."

He clicked away from the website then, pouting his lips at her name. "I can't believe she got promoted. You realize we're practically her slaves now?"

I laughed, "You haven't seen what everyone's been doing to try to get on her good side upstairs, it's like a circus. She offered around some assistant manager job so it's going wild."

"I know, I've seen it," he grinned, pointing back to his screen.

I looked where he referenced and felt my mouth drop open in a smile, "You have camera's down here?!"

I held the screen, seeing it divided into squares, each one showing a certain room or angle, including Erza's office and the break room. He looked to my face then, still grinning, "Why don't you think I've been caught before?"

I looked to his eyes, a scoff caught in my throat. _He watched her come downstairs._

"That is _genius_. I'm impressed, really." I nodded, biting my lip.

His eyes wandered around, everywhere but towards me and shrugged nervously. I looked back to his screen, still somewhat shocked.

"So you can see everything that happens?" I asked, and he hummed, nodding. "Can you see me?"

He laughed a bit, pointing to one of the camera's, "Yup. You sit right there, right? Next to Lisanna?"

I saw him looking at my desk across from where Lisanna currently showed up on the feed, on the phone. "That's hilarious."

I bit my lip, a thought popping into my head along with those words. He looked to me, giving me a weird look, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Keep an eye out for me okay? I'm gonna make this the best day in the office for you." I promised, grabbing my bag and heading towards the elevator.

He raised an eyebrow, skeptically, but I saw that infamous smile slowly make its way up his lips, and I felt my stomach twist in knots as I simply stared at it. He didn't say anything, and neither did I, but I made sure he saw the mischievous look I had, before the doors shut me in for the day.

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I sat, typing at my computer normally, and heard tapping on my desk. I glanced over and saw Cana rolling over in her chair, her expression annoyed, as always.

"Can you believe that?" She asked, glowering at something behind me.

I turned around and saw Erza, sitting on Jellal's desk and talking to him, a shy smile on her lips, as well as Jellal's. She laughed at something she said, crossing her legs and leaning more towards him.

"She's so obviously going to give him that job. That is if she doesn't bang him in the supply room first," Cana grimaced, shaking her head.

I whipped back towards her, "Cana!"

"What? It's true," she prodded, crossing her arms, and her little pencil skirt riding up her thigh. "Can't blame her though."

Levy came over then, rolling in her chair from the accountant department. "Yeah you know, I heard that they already did it."

Cana shot me a look then, as if proving her point. "See? Great, now I have no chance at that raise."

I shrugged a little, wearily, "Erza's still professional, maybe she'll actually choose for the best work performance. Either way Cana, you're out for the count."

Levy giggled a bit, yet she didn't look amused, "Quiet down there Big Tits, I know Erza's probably not the only one imagining banging someone in this office."

Her words were vague, but I for some reason knew exactly what she was talking about. Needless to say, I blushed furiously, remembering Natsu could actually hear and see everything happening now.

"I knew it!" Levy clapped, happily, "Mira and Laxus did it, didn't they?! I thought maybe they were just trying to lift something really heavy down in the warehouse, but now I'm not so sure…"

Cana blanked out then, her eyes widening open. "MIRA AND LAXUS HAD SEX?"

Levy and I immediately shushed her, but…wow was it too late. Cana screeched, the entire office going silent and eyes going to us. Mira specifically looked to us, her jaw dropped and eyes wide. She stood up, staring bewildered at Cana…and not in the good way.

"What did you just say?"

I blew up my cheeks, my heart thudding as I slowly rolled back to my desk. I turned back to the camera in the corner of the room, shooting a scared look into it. I kept quiet then as Mira dragged Cana out by her arm, soft mumbles and curses leaving in their trail. I finally sighed out as they left, shaking my head. Wow. Mira was surely out for the count now, considering Erza's narrowed eyes at them as they left. Yay…

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I sat in the break room now, eating yogurt and watched carefully as Max attempted at a conversation with Erza. She poured herself a coffee, her eyes fierce at him and him sweating bullets. He was trying to impress her, anyone could tell, and it all was honestly making me cringe just listening to this.

"You know you're pretty funny." She commented casually, stirring her drink.

He laughed nervously, "Really?"

She nodded, "Sure. Hey, today's actually been sort of boring, can you make me laugh?"

I nearly snorted laughing at Max's face after she said that, the one of complete desperation. What kind of question was that anyways?

He agreed anyways, eyes wandering around and finally settled on the broom leaning against the wall. He went over and grabbed it, a weak smile on his lips, before he started singing the entire verse of some musical number that he knew Erza liked.

I watched intently, grimacing at some of the notes he sang, and Erza didn't seem nearly as impressed as I was. He got more sweaty, his voice quivering with the casual glare she bore and accidentally slipped, the handle of the broom whipping into his head.

I gaped as Erza burst out laughing, his song cutting off and his hands flying up to his face. He held his temple, cringing, and saw her smiling widely.

"Now that was funny," she clapped, waving her hand for more.

Max then, proceeded to hurt himself in every way possible. He slammed his head into a cabinet, hit his toe on the fridge door, crying out in pain during each one, yet Erza was still cracking up, encouraging an encore. It was then, when he grabbed the steaming pot of coffee that my mouth dropped. He wasn't actually going to…?

I saw tears in his eyes as Erza lit up at his hand shaking the handle, and slowly, dumped it all over his shirt. Steam rose up from his skin and he screamed out in pain, before gradually turning it into a long winded laugh, grinning up to Erza dying at the moment.

I sat there, basically unable to take my eyes off of this and blinked heavily as a tear dropped from his eye. My lord. Now that is power.

I gazed back to the camera in the corner, staring at it with the same expression and saw the lens focusing. I couldn't close my mouth, it was too terrible, oh my god.

Erza wiped a tear of her own away, sighing out from laughing so hard. She raised her coffee at Max, nodding in an approving matter. "Good work Max."

She turned then as he laughed weakly, heading out the door casually. "Clean this up."

He froze then and I gaped to Natsu, an entire, black puddle coating the tile flooring now. _Wow_.

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I bit my lip in the elevator, my insides anxious to see Natsu after that event. I knew he saw it, I saw the lens focus, but I honestly didn't know what to expect from him. He had such a weird taste in comedy, anything normal didn't really do it for him, but stupid stuff that wasn't never supposed to be funny I found him dying on the floor laughing.

The doors opened and to say I was pleasantly surprised, was a little modest. He was cracking up at his desk, his hands holding his face and leaned over the counter. I came over, feeling satisfied and gave him a big grin.

"Hey you," I smirked, leaning over towards him.

He looked up to me then, his bright green eyes lit up in the most joyful way I've seen him before. "Holy shit Lucy."

"You like what you saw?" I nodded, laughing a bit.

He shook his head, still unable to wipe that grin off his face. "You are so amazing, I love you so much."

My stomach jumped at that, making me hesitate for a moment, before a small smile made its way up my lips. Chill out Lucy, he didn't mean it like that.

"Why thank you." I sang.

He stood up then, still grinning like no tomorrow and leaned forward casually. I had time to give him a quick glance, before I felt his hand in my hair, pulling me towards him.

"Really," he breathed, happily, and pressed his lips onto mine.

I inhaled sharply, shocked, and felt him kiss my lower lip, pressing it between his own. I forgot to kiss him back, my hands were still stuck in the air, and my eyes squeezed shut, but he gave me a second chance when he pulled away, looking back up to me. He was still smiling, but softly now.

I searched his eyes, my cheeks burning and let out a nervous laugh, before pecking his lips again.

"You have to do that every day for me," he pleaded, smiling.

I leaned over the counter more, crossing my arms under my chest with a big grin, "Do I get a kiss everyday if I do?"

He nodded noticeable, leaning down to my lips again, "Uh huh."

I giggled into his kiss, holding onto the collar of his shirt. _"It's a deal then."_

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**I love the office, don't you?**

**Review? I loved the responses from the last few chapters, you guys are too sweet :))**


	20. The Spy Upstairs (3)

**The Spy Upstairs**

**Part 3**

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**Natsu Dragneel: 25 years old, pink hair, green eyes, 5'9"**

**-Works for a secret agency named F.A.I.R.Y.T.A.I.L, which stands for something way too long for me to repeat back, but has a personal goal of eliminating all terrorist threats in and out of the Fiore.**

**-He has a record of 63 kills, and has special training in combustion weapons, along with martial arts, although his move pool is not very diverse.**

It's been a while since I've found out about Natsu, and I don't think I have ever met anyone so interesting and intriguing as him. We were like the best of friends now, we hung out all the time and I _totally_ got him to spill about _everything_, like I said I would. It was amazing. He told me about missions and people and places, at least the stuff he was allowed to release, and it just had me at the edge of my seat. No secrets though, which I expected, but the disappointment is all the same.

I often wondered if it was okay that he was telling me all this stuff, but now that I think about it, he really hasn't even told me that much. He basically just stops crime, except more sneakily than the police.

And you know I had this big whole persona when I met Natsu, he was this quiet, collected, casual assassin who was a terrible liar and complete badass who hated showing his feelings. I saw him as like The Transporter, you know, Jason Statham? But now that I've forcefully shoved my way in past the point of no return, I can honestly admit now how incredibly wrong I was.

"I mean I know it's not the most productive way to heal a person, but it wasn't the _worst_ way, ya know?"

I stared at him, my back to the wall of the elevator and arms drooped by my sides. He stared at me back, his eyes big and innocent and I had to hold everything back not to just bang my head into the steel doors.

"Natsu, that method is _literally_ medieval. You realize how far modern medicine has come from that time period right?" I asked him, and fully expected an answer.

He rolled his eyes, "Well I know, all the machines and needles and stuff, but I still don't see why we_can't_ use leeches anymore. I mean it's like a natural substitute, and plus they don't die."

I almost let my jaw drop. "Leeches Natsu, why do you think we stopped using them in the first place? They're ineffective and dangerous, what if one carried a disease and then just so happened was put to _suck_ blood out of a patient?"

He just had to be kidding with this. I mean, granted I was no expert on this but he had to be pulling my leg, there was no way anyone couldn't of known this.

He stared at me in a way that told me he wasn't kidding. I leaned over towards him, holding back the frustrated tone in my voice, "Natsu you realize leeches can end up clotting veins and otherwise just make you more ill right? It's important to me that you know that," I said to him, keeping my voice very clear.

The elevator dinged before he answered, and he merely blew up his cheeks. He swayed on his feet and stepped out onto the floor, scoffing and waving a hand at me, "Eh, what makes you so educated?"

I bore holes into his back, "I am a doctor."

I was literally wearing scrubs right now.

Natsu glanced back to me, glaring, as I followed behind him to his door. He probably saw it on some clickbait article. Of course.

He unlocked his door and left me to close it behind me. Yeah, we sort of made it a habit for me to just come over whenever we found ourselves in the elevator together. It actually made me feel safer in his place, since you know, professional assassin and all. Jeez, that still had me giddy. Also because he had weapons hidden everywhere too.

I mean I didn't see anything, but I so knew he did. He refused to show me though. Loser.

I slumped down on his couch, grimacing at the mess he had everywhere and shriveled in my seat, "This place is disgusting."

"Really?" He said, disappearing into the kitchen, "I think it's homie."

I scoffed at that, smiling, and kicked my feet up. Happy jumped up onto the couch and onto my lap, pressing his head against my hand. I petted him, seeing Natsu come back while eating something.

He lifted up my legs and sat down, leaving one on his knee and sighed out, giving me a look.

I noticed then how casual our little looks have become, because he so knew right now what I was thinking. A smile teased my lips, I couldn't help it any longer.

"So how was work?" I sang, nudging him with my toe.

He rolled his neck, and I could just tell he was waiting for that question. I asked it about…every day we saw each other. I couldn't help it okay? It was exciting! It was like seeing a spy movie with every story he told, don't act like you wouldn't take advantage of this if it were you.

"Nothing much, actually. Mostly had to interrogate this guy all day long." He shrugged, stretching out.

"Interrogate for what?" I asked him, a pit of twists in my stomach poking me as I sat up.

He looked over to my excited face, and I saw him try to keep his smile, but failed. "Information. He was some yesman in a crime ring and we wanted to know more about his boss."

"The terrorist leader guy?" I asked.

He hesitated to go on, rolling his eyes, "Yeah. He didn't know where he was though."

I nodded, disappointed at that, "But you know who he is then? What he looks like?"

Natsu shrugged in agreement, "Yeah. Everyone actually knows who he is, it's just getting to him and actually _killing_ him that's had us stuck for the past years. He's practically untouchable, all we've seen him in some video."

I took a chip out of the bag he had on his lap, hearing Happy cry out, "Video? Of what?"

"A confession." He told me, a surprised look on his face, "He admitted to doing all those crimes, but he wasn't turning himself in. I dunno."

I nodded, raising a brow as I wondered why he would willingly let people know about him. Some bigger plan? I shrugged away the thoughts though, "So why isn't he on some wanted list? I haven't heard anything about him."

Natsu nodded his head back and forth, crinkling his nose, "We decided not to release it. What's the point ya know, we're no closer and it would only scare people."

I shrugged at that, humming. "Know his name?"

He nodded, chewing slowly, "Mmhm. Zeref."

_Zeref?_

A knock on the door pulled me away from my thoughts, sighing and slowly swayed to my feet. "I'll get it."

I only got a step away before Natsu yanked me back by my wrist, sending me stumbling into him. I gaped at him, about to yell at him before he brought a finger to his lips, telling me to hush.

"What?" I mouthed.

He rolled his eyes, glaring at me like a clueless child, "You really think it's smart to answer the door now? At 5 in the morning? Have I taught you nothing?"

Ohh. I huffed out at him, "I think you're a little paranoid. It could be the old lady in 57, you know she gets up early. Maybe it's an emergency."

He just gave me a look, telling me to 'get real' in a simple glance and headed off towards the door. He crept slowly, keeping his head down and waved me towards the kitchen. Oh, yeah I guess I should get out of sight from the door.

See? I'm learning.

I went over to the sides and kept quiet, watching him intently as he peeked in the peephole. He retracted, and I saw he didn't know who it was. He thought for a moment, before reaching over to a table that held a lamp and feeling underneath it.

I gawked as he pulled out a gun, catching his gaze and grinning at him. 'I knew that was there!' I mouthed at him, keeping in a laugh.

He only rolled his eyes, pressing the nozzle to the door and twisting the knob. He cracked it open, peeking through the slit and gripping the handle. I smiled at that, he _so_ did that with me the night I caught him. It had me getting excited.

"What do you want?" He asked, not sounding too concerned.

I heard a nasally man voice reply, thick in some accent I couldn't identify, "Is there a Natsu here?"

Natsu slipped his finger over the trigger at that, cracking the door open wider. I caught a glance at his face at that movement, and he didn't seem all too casual. And it was so obvious he was hiding something, Jesus you would think a trained killer would be able to act better.

"You're talking to him." He answered, catching me off guard. Was he not going to lie?

I saw the man shuffle on his feet through the crack in the door hinge. He laughed a bit, before the door snapped open, Natsu stumbling back on his feet.

The intruder kicked the door open and I gaped at him, wide eyed, as he charged right at Natsu. He pulled a pistol from the waistband behind his pants, cocking it and aiming all in one swift motion and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

Natsu grabbed his wrist though, ducking under the nozzle and twisting his arm backwards. The man cried out angrily, his arm tucked under Natsu's and got his nose smashed in by his elbow.

The gun dropped from his hand, clattering away on the ground and the man tackled him to the ground. They fell against the coffee table, sending cups and glasses crashing to the floor and Natsu struggled to raise his gun up to him.

_Please don't blow his brains out here, please don't blow his brains out here._ I thought that over and over, biting down on my lip as I watched them struggle and grunt out. _Oh and don't die, right._

The intruder sent his knuckles flying into Natsu's wrist, making his hand cringe in pain and force his fingers apart. He dropped the gun, sending it clattering to the floor and sliding away. I slowly crept over by the door, pushing it shut before anyone else came and saw Natsu send a nasty punch into this guys jaw. I grimaced visibly at that, feeling _my_ mouth ache just from looking at it. The man merely reeled back though, proving a challenge for Natsu and felt my stomach knot in anticipation.

I bit my lip, catching a gleam in my eye and saw the pistol the hitman dropped, laying there right at my feet. *_Oh_..shit.

I glanced back up warily, seeing the man laying on Natsu now, sending punch after punch into Natsu's arms covering his face. He defended himself but he definitely didn't have the upper hand right now.

I picked up the gun, feeling shivers crawl through me at the fact that I was holding a _real fucking gun_ right now. I breathed out, pressing the handle in between my two palms and stepping a foot closer.

The intruder held his fist up for another punch, mistakenly, and Natsu leaned up quickly, grasping the hair on the back of his head and crammed his elbow right in his face again. He yelled out, nearly falling back and grasped onto Natsu's collar mindlessly. He growled out then, loudly and lividly and dragged him off the coffee table and onto the ground, slamming his head into the hard wood. I stared at the gun right above his head, yet I don't think either of them noticed.

"Uh Natsu?" I shouted, slowly approaching them closer, "What do I do?"

He was currently being choked now, but he managed to glance to me beside them both, grasping at the hands around his neck, "_Shoot him?_"

I gawked at that, my hands were still shaking from _holding_ the damn thing and he wanted me to kill a person?

"I'm not gonna kill him!" I protested, my voice dying off in a complaint.

They were writhing now, the intruders biceps curled around his neck and he groaned out, glaring up at me, "Really now! What's stopping you?!"

I sighed out, dropping the pistol to my side and propping it up on my hip, "Hey now, I'm not like you. I can't just kill people ya know."

He struggled with the man, rolling over on his side as he tugged the bicep from around his neck, "Well I would really appreciate it if you stepped outside your comfort zone–"

I bit down on my cheek, twisting my face in a way that showed reluctance and slowly held my gun up again. I hesitated, sighing out loudly and dropped it to my side again. "I can't."

Of course I couldn't, killing people was awful! I couldn't even imagine doing it myself, I could understand why Natsu had to do it, it was his job and he was protecting people, but it didn't mean I liked it. Yeah it was interesting and I often found it intriguing, but it wasn't like I could just run around shooting people now.

"Well he's killing me Lucy, so!" He yelled at me, his voice strangled and raw.

The intruder smirked at that, and I had a feeling he knew I couldn't do what Natsu asked. His gaze flicked up then, and I felt my stomach lurch as his hand went for the gun. He only got a hand around it, before a gunshot echoed throughout the loft.

Oh. Shit.

I did that. I shot him? I whined out, annoyed and frankly angry as the intruder cried out, his hand whipping to his leg now. Blood leaked through his fingers, cursing loudly.

Yeah…I shot him in his leg. _I just shot someone_, holy hell.

Natsu took that chance to punch him in his face again, twice, three times, before he groaned out on the floor, barely moving a muscle. I exhaled loudly, dropping the gun to my side as smoke puffed out of the nozzle. At least it had a silencer.

Natsu heaved heavily, sitting up finally to stare up to me, not looking all that impressed. I huffed at him, giving his look right back to him.

"What?" I hissed.

He only got to his feet, stepping on the guys back and approached me, hearing a groan behind him. He took the gun from my hand and lifted an annoyed eyebrow, "You spend all that time looking for my guns when you think I'm not looking and you couldn't even shoot it?"

I gaped at him as he turned back to the guy on the ground, lifting him up by the scruff of his shirt, "Well I did, didn't I? You're welcome by the way!"

He glanced back over to me, and I noticed then the blood dripping from his nose and how bruised his face suddenly seemed. "Yeah. Thanks."

…I do suppose I could've shot him sooner. I don't know why I really thought it had to be in the head. Eh, whoops.

* * *

I watched as Natsu dragged the guy across the flat and kicked open the bathroom door, shoving him onto the tile flooring with his foot. I hurried up towards him, something telling me I should be worried.

"What are you gonna do with him?" I asked, standing in the doorway.

Natsu walked back out past me, raising an eyebrow as he turned into the kitchen, "Uh, I'm gonna kill him?"

I gaped at him as he came back, snatching onto his arm and stepping in front of the door, "Uh _no?_No no no!"

I don't know why I was waving my finger at him like he was trying to steal a cookie and not like he was trying to kill a man in his bathroom right now, but I couldn't think of what else to do.

"You are _not _killing him, are you crazy?" I admonished him, staring at him like I already knew he was.

"What?" He looked at me like I was the insane one now, "Lucy we have to, we can't just let him go."

He stepped up to me then, expecting me to move so he could get in the room but I stayed in place, trying to form the words in my head out of my mouth, "But-no! Natsu no, we are not killing him!"

He stopped right in front of me, seemingly annoyed and bore me a look, "Lucy, c'mon, think about this. He knows who I am, he knows where I live and he's seen you too, so you're in just as much danger as I am, this is the only way."

I sighed out heavily, biting my cheek at his words and couldn't help but feel as if he was right. But there had to be another way right? We couldn't just _murder_ him, I mean, I know he's an assassin and he's probably no angel, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. No one did.

"We're not killing him okay?" I declared, my tone strong, "Let's just…talk to him, alright? Maybe we can convince him to keep quiet."

Natsu laughed at that like I just said a joke, "You have to be kidding me-"

"I don't care what you say Natsu, that's what we're doing!" I announced, holding onto the doorknob behind me.

"You realize he is an assassin right?" He asked me loudly.

I covered my hands to my ears, "Nah! La la! That's what we're doing!"

"Lucy-"

"LA!"

He shut his mouth, practically fuming in his skin with a sharp glare at me.

I uncovered my ears and breathed out at him, giving him a relaxing smile, "Look, you just calm down alright? Go grab an ice pack, take some pills for the pain, and we'll figure this out, okay?"

He didn't seem any less irritated with me and I just gave him a big grin, opening up the door and stepping in quietly. I closed it, sighing out and heard groaning behind me.

I glanced down to a trail of blood on the white tiles, following it up to the guy rolling around on the floor. I twisted my lips at that, seeing him growl out angrily and grip his leg tighter. He didn't seem happy.

No, correction, the _assassin_ didn't seem too happy.

I was back out in the living room a second later, quietly shutting the door and turning to Natsu, staring at me the same way I left him.

"…I didn't want to be in there alone."

"Uh huh."

* * *

I stood now, holding Natsu's ice pack as he handcuffed the hitman to the drain of his sink. He tightened it and the man hissed out, glaring at the smirk he had on his face. He stood back up, sighing and took the ice pack, "Alright. All tied up."

He seemed amused at how I was going about this, and honestly I could see why. I had no plan, and it wasn't like I've ever had to convince someone to keep quiet about my existence in case someone else wanted to come kill me then. And especially not after the man he came to kill just kicked his ass and got shot in the leg by some nurse.

So yeah, this would be a challenge.

I slapped my hands to my knees then, offering the guy a big smile, "Okay! So, elephant in the room, you have come here to kill Natsu right?"

He didn't answer, and I felt nervous at how he looked at me like my head was spinning, "Right of course you have, or else you wouldn't be here, uh. Who sent you by the way?"

He just stared at me, "You really expect me to tell you that?"

I bit down on my cheek, frowning a bit, "Well I was hoping so…"

I heard Natsu smile behind me, turning to glare at him. He just leaned against the door, an ice pack pressed against his cheek with the most delighted expression I've seen him have all day.

"Okay so I'll just get straight to it," I cleared my throat, leaning over on my knees to his level, "See Natsu here wants to kill you, and I, ever so kindly, told him that that was unnecessary! Because I could totally convince you to keep quiet for us!"

A beamed a big smile at him and I don't know why I expected him to do the same.

He merely scoffed, a bored tone rolling off his tongue, "Just kill me then."

"Alright-"

"No," I hissed, putting a hand up to Natsu, "No. We're not going to kill you, we can go about this a different way."

"There's no need." He told me, his accent thick, "I'm already dead. I'm supposed to return to my boss in less than half an hour and I won't be able to get there with this wound."

I thought a moment, scrunching up my lips, "Well then, what better way than to get a fresh start?"

He just stared at me then, and I was beginning to suspect I didn't understand much about their killer culture. He just glanced to Natsu, giving him a look and he shrugged in reply.

I sighed out, closing my eyes and decided to clear my head of everything. First things first, I needed to gain his trust. Well, somewhat of his trust. Enough to make him feel comfortable alright?

I crouched in front of him, holding my knees together and hugged them to my chest, trying a nice smile again.

"What's your name?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.

I saw him struggle not to roll his eyes, and instead bore them in mine. "Melvin."

Natsu burst out laughing behind me and Melvin immediately switched his eyes to him, glaring deeply, "The fuck is so funny asshole?"

I whipped around to Natsu myself, giving him a 'don't you dare' glare. It was too late.

"The fact that your mother named you Melvin," he laughed, giving a big old cocky grin to the man.

Melvin's jaw dropped, "What did you say about my mother-!"

"Hey okay stop!" I shouted, holding a hand up to Natsu walking towards us. "Hey!"

I shushed the two, looking back to the hitman in front of me, "There is nothing wrong with the name Melvin alright?"

Natsu scoffed and I looked back to him, "Really! I even knew a kid named Melvin once and he was _so _nice. I remember some bullies stole my entire pack of like 46 tropical themed pack of crayons and he let me borrow some of his way back in second grade. He was like my first friend ever, I'll never forget him."

Melvin raised an eyebrow as I nodded to him eagerly. I tilted my head then, staring at his face, "You know you even kind of look like him."

I suddenly gaped a smile then and tilted my head back, "Oh my god _Melvin! _Is that you?"

He just looked at me, bewildered, and let his lips part. "What?"

I laughed, pressing my hands to my chest, "It's me! Lucy!" He didn't seem any more filled in, "Norton Elementary?"

He just shook his head, glancing at me up and down and I heard Natsu drop his ice pack in the sink, coming over, "Okay Lucy, you really need to stop making friends with assassins that come to kill me."

I frowned at Melvin. Aw, maybe it wasn't him? I don't remember him having an accent either…man. That sucked.

Natsu bent over right next to me, sticking his face in his with an annoyed look, "Hey, are you gonna keep your mouth shut or what? 'Cause I'm not risking have me and everything I stand for ruined just because I decided to listen to my overly naive friend and let you go. Either you say yes and you disappear for good, or I'm throwing you off my balcony."

I blew up my cheeks next to Natsu, twiddling my fingers and gave Melvin a little look. "You should probably say yes," I whispered, nodding at him nervously.

"He's not a happy camper," I muttered through my teeth, raising a brow.

Natsu glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, sighing and sucking on his teeth. He always did that when he got irritated at me. Melvin on the other hand simply waited quietly, and I saw his eyes switch between us, a musing expression on his features, like was actually thinking about something important.

"You know…I _really _wanna kill you both right now." He said softly, raising a brow. I felt offended by that, frowning, and saw him look over to me. "Especially you."

I gaped at him. Wow, okay _rude._

Natsu didn't say anything, and I watched quietly as he went to unlock Melvin's handcuffs. Oh no…what was he gonna do? Damn it Melvin, I told him to say yes!

The handcuffs dropped off of his wrist and Melvin smirked, before two hands curled in his collar and jerked him up to his feet. The other handcuff snapped around his free wrist, now locked together tightly. He yelled out and I stepped out of the way as Natsu dragged him out of the bathroom, into the living room, and…_oh. Oh no._

"Natsu!" I shouted, following him quickly as he kicked the door open to his balcony.

I stopped on my toes as he lifted Melvin up on the railing, holding half his body over to hang above _six _freaking stories and heard him yelling shrilly.

I bit down on my lip, creasing my expression and came around to the side. Melvin jerked around, swinging his arms around and kept panicking.

"Stop stop! Pull me up! Stop!" He blurted.

I tapped Natsu's arm, "Let him up!"

Natsu sighed out and pulled Melvin up to sit on the railing, gasping in breaths. I stepped up to him, waving a hand, "Okay I just want to let you know that I am totally against what he's doing, but really now, you're pushing your limits."

Natsu shook his shirt, jerking his body threateningly, "You still wanna kill her now?"

"No no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" He blurted, gasping in ragged breaths, "Please-I'm-I'm afraid of heights!"

I frowned at that, tugging on Natsu's sleeve, "Aw Natsu, he's afraid of heights."

Natsu looked to me, scoffing, "Why are you still trying to defend this guy?"

I shrugged at that, a measly little one, but I couldn't help that I didn't want him to die. "Because…he was just trying to do his job," I muttered, "Don't tell me you wouldn't want to be saved if you were captured by the guy you were sent to kill and their neighbor actually had a heart."

Natsu loosened his grip on the guy, exhaling loudly, and I nodded to him, pouting my lips, "And come on, he looks like he's about to pee his pants."

Melvin was let go at that, still balancing on the edge and signed out of relief. Natsu gazed to me then, a distraught expression adorning his face and held a hand out. "What do you wanna do with him then Lucy?"

Ugh. Why did he keep asking me that, he knows that _I don't know._

"I don't know," I whined, stamping my feet, "Can't we just send him to your little agency or something?"

I snapped my fingers at him before he could say anything, "We can send him to jail! That way he can't do anything and he can be properly punished for all of his crimes!"

"Jail?" Natsu groaned, "Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

"What?" I defended.

"People like him break outta jail and break _others _outta jail, prison isn't gonna stop these people. Either way he can just talk to someone for five minutes and know everything he does, Lucy, come on." He complained.

I whined out again, pulling at my hair and stomped my foot. "Why are you yelling at me so much, you act like I've done something like this before!"

"I'm not yelling!" He yelled, "I just want to know your plan!"

"Well I don't have a plan! You're the killer, why don't you have a plan!" I shouted.

"Exactly! I'm a killer! Of course I don't have a plan, I just kill people Lucy!" He hissed out, angrily. I just groaned at him, glaring at him annoyed and saw him give me a look, "You wanna know my plan? My plan was to kill the guy over an hour ago and be in _bed_ by now, but _nope_, you had to save the guy who came over here to kill me–see _I_ know what I'm doing!"

"Well Jesus!" I waved my arm up, smacking something hard, "Sorry my morals get in the way of your precious beauty sleep! Yo-"

I cut myself off as a shriek echoed between us, my hand slapping against my mouth. I ran up against the railing, staring wide eyed down to the ground as a sickening _crack _boomed throughout the night.

"Oh no I pushed Melvin!" I cried out, gaping to the body laying in the alleyway.

I felt my entire being practically freeze up, a weak whimper stuck in my throat.

_He just fell_. He just fell and I pushed him. I just pushed a guy off a building.

Natsu came up next to me then and waited a minute, staring down casually. He didn't twitch or groan or move-_oh god_.

"Oh my god," I whispered.

"Wow." Natsu said, and _why the hell did he sound so impressed?_

"That'll do it."

I gawked at him as a laugh fell from his lips, suddenly clearing his throat and falling silent. I whimpered, dragging my nails up my face and into my hair and stalked away from the railing.

"I killed him, I just killed a person." I said, gaping to the ground. I scoffed out at myself, looking back up to Natsu, "_I'm a murderer._"

I felt something prick my eyes and Natsu suddenly frowned now, coming up to me, "Hey hey hey, no. No you didn't, you didn't kill anybody."

I just shook my head, my vision getting blurry, "Look, it's not even that far a drop, I'm sure he's still okay, alright?"

I felt him hold my arms, dipping his face into my sights again and gave a small smile, "Look, I'll even go check, don't worry. He's a trained assassin Lucy, I'm sure he's fine."

I held back my tears and frown, nodding lightly at him. He let go and I watched him hop over the railing and onto the fire escape. He made his way down all six flights and dropped to the ground.

I craned my neck to see him crouch besides Melvin, doing something I couldn't see. Awhile later I saw him pick Melvin up in his arms and take him off somewhere I couldn't see. I stood back, biting my nails and saw Natsu come back…alone.

He made his way up the fire escape again and hopped back onto his balcony, and I saw already how stained of blood his hands and arms were. I stared at him, expectantly, "What did you do with him? What happened?"

"He was okay," Natsu said, "I mean, well, as much as he could be after falling off a building."

He came up to me then, holding my arms again with a sorrowful look, "He uh, didn't make it, though."

I felt my lip quiver at that, tears pooling in my eyes again, "Oh I knew it! I am a killer!"

I shoved myself away from him and heard him protest, bringing me back against him, "No no, it wasn't you okay? I killed him."

I stared up to him, confused, "What?"

"He said he didn't want his boss to find him, and that if he went to the hospital than they'd be sure to find him. He…asked me. He wanted me to do it." Natsu tried explaining, "Really Lucy, it was all over for him the minute I knocked him out. You didn't do anything."

I felt bad despite that, frowning down to my shoes and sniffling. I pushed my way into his arms, feeling them wrap around me tightly. I hugged him, burying my cheek against his chest and sighed out. He was always really warm.

My tears soaked his shirt, and the cool wind of the night had me shivering where Natsu wasn't touching. I sniffed though, pulling away and rubbing my eye. I told myself to stop crying, I mean, I couldn't be sad at every death right? Still, it was my first so yeah, I'll cry all I want, but he saw this every day. I could handle this right? I gazed up to him looking at me sorrowfully, and I sighed at the blood still covering his face.

"Come on, I can get you fixed up." I offered, nodding back inside.

After a while I came to sit down beside him on the couch, placing the first aid kit on the coffee table scattered with glass pieces.

"Okay, what hurts?" I asked, sitting facing towards him.

"I dunno, mostly my face." He cringed as I held his chin, examining it, "And also my side a bit. It really stings for some reason."

I let go and he shifted left, showing me his side and I looked around. I saw something gleam then, peering in closer and gaped. _There was a giant shard of glass stuck in him._

"Christ Natsu," I gasped, gawking at the wound. It cut straight through his shirt and stuck out like a sore thumb, how could I have missed this?

He must've got it stuck in him when he was wrestling around with Melvin.

"What?" He asked, curiously.

I tried tugging away his shirt, but he flinched as soon as I touched it. "You have glass in you, you really didn't notice this?"

"Guess not."

I sighed out, gripping at my hair again and cleared my head. "Okay okay, uh, we need to get your shirt off."

He groaned out, a slight whimper in his tone, "That's gonna hurt like a bitch."

I hovered my hand around the shard, biting my lip, "Try not to think about it."

I grasped the fabric around the wound and heard him hiss out, grimacing myself. Ugh, of course. It's been so long since he was impaled that the blood dried with the shirt _stuck_ in it. It clung to his skin and he struggled back noises of pain, biting down on his lip.

"Okay, this isn't so bad. It'll just be like taking off a bandaid," I told him, smiling warily. He didn't seem so convinced.

"Alright, on three." I told him, holding the fabric, "One, two-"

I yanked the shirt away from him and he let slip a strangled yell, arching his back away from me. He panted out in hurt, nearly falling off the couch, "You said three!"

"I, uh, forgot." I murmured.

I held his shirt now, free from his skin and ripped the hole wider apart. "Okay, you can take it off now."

I helped him maneuver the shirt over the glass piece and heard him groan out. I hesitated then, staring at him, and felt my cheeks heat up because _wow_…

He looked really nice shirtless. Like, really.

Like imagine Brad Pitt way back when he did that movie Troy, basking in all his Roman, half god-like glory and *that's what it was like.

I shook all of that out of my head though, focusing back at the task at hand and exhaled deeply. For some reason a flash of Melvin popped up in my head, just lying there in the street motionless. It downed my spirits just at the vision, and I felt my stomach twist up again at disgust.

"Everything alright?" His voice snapped me awake.

"Uh yeah, sorry." I apologized, quick to keep myself distracted. That was gonna stick with me for a while, isn't it? "I gotta get this out of you now."

"Okay." He said quietly, and I stared at the wound, mindlessly. I slowly grasped the shard of glass, the edges sharp against my skin, and I felt myself hesitate again. Natsu looked over his shoulder, his eyes warm on me, "You okay?"

I pushed my tongue against my teeth, glancing up into his eyes and sighed out my nose. I began wiggling the glass out of his skin and he held back a grunt, adjusting to the pain. I kept at it though, the sound of blood gushing from his wound filling the silence. It poured down his back in large streams and pooled onto my scrubs.

I pulled it out entirely, tossing the blood stained piece and pressing a towel to the slot in his skin. I opened up my mouth, hesitating on my tongue.

"What was it like for you? You know, the first time you killed someone?" I asked him, warily.

I felt him tense up at that, and even though I couldn't see his face I could feel his frown. I knew that was a risky question to ask, and I've learned by now that despite all we share and talk about, asking stuff about his past wasn't something easy for him to talk about. I mean, I could understand, obviously. I don't think there would ever be a casual story as to how you turn into an assassin. It wasn't exactly a career you sign up for with a heart full of passion to blow people's brains out.

"You didn't kill anybody Lucy." He told me, his voice deep and serious.

I dabbed his wound, waiting for the blood to slow down and sighed out, "I know, but, I've never actually had to watch someone die at the hands of another, you know? It's different out here instead of the hospital."

I dropped the towel and grabbed the needle and stitches from the aid kit, setting it all up.

He hesitated to answer me, but I could feel him trying to spit something out. I stitched him up, and he didn't so much as flinch at my touch.

"It's not as bad as you think." He decided to say, not sounding too sure on his answer, "I mean, you know, it gets easier."

I sent him a look even though I knew he couldn't see me, "Killing?"

"Well-" he stumbled over his words, rolling his neck, "Seeing people die."

"Oh." I mumbled in reply.

I bit down on my lip, wondering if I should even bother trying to ask. I sucked in a breath though, building up some confidence, "Who was the first person you had to kill?"

I laughed a bit dryly, after myself and poked his skin, "How did you even get into this stuff?"

He swallowed. I didn't see it but I felt it. I waited patiently for an answer, snipping away the thread from his wound and setting the scissors down. He turned back to face me then, an uncomfortable expression adorning his face.

"I don't really like talking about it Lucy." He told me quietly, and even managed to look at me like he didn't want me to get mad or something.

I gave a reassuring smile nonetheless, waving a hand. "Yeah, it's okay."

"Thanks." He said, smiling back at me.

I fiddled with my fingers then, and he dipped his face down in my sight again, "You gonna be okay?"

I nodded, a bit eagerly, but I just felt like trying to tell myself the same. "Yeah, I think so."

I stared up to him then, now noticing the flecks of green swimming around in his dark eyes and sighed at the cuts all around his nose and eyes. "Let me finish up hm?"

He sat closer then, and I examined the wounds in his face. He had a particularly concern worthy one of his nose, and I was worried for a second that it was broken. It only seemed fractured though, and I grimaced as my nail slipped against the puffy part.

"Ow!" He hissed out, waving my hand away.

"Oh I'm sorry!" I seethed, sorrowfully, "Sorry! I'm not used to dealing with this kind of stuff and being aware of pain at the same time."

He held his nose then, glaring at me, "God no wonder you only work with dead people, you're a terrible nurse."

I gaped at that, laughing, "It was an accident!"

He scoffed at that, lifting an eyebrow, "You realize if this was brain surgery than I would probably be dead because of your little 'accident'."

I laughed heartily at that, shaking my head, "Since when have I ever been qualified to do _brain_surgery?"

"Since you decided you know everything about everything," he grumbled.

I rolled my eyes at him, taking his hand away from his nose, "Oh whatever, let me see you big baby."

It was red and throbbing now, and…yeah. I made it worse.

"Okay yeah, you need to go to the doctor." I told him.

He perked up at that, seemingly alarmed, "What? Can't you just fix it?"

I rolled my eyes at him, staring blandly, "Oh yeah, I forgot. There's a pond at Central Park, why don't you go take a swim and let the leeches heal you?"

He glared at me then, fuming silently, "The article looked really real."

I smiled at that, shaking my head and nodding towards him nose, "You need to get a brace for that before you injure it any more."

He groaned out, annoyed, and I cleaned up the bloody mess in my lap. I set it all aside, seeing him fall back into his sofa and give an exhausted exhale. I almost felt like doing the same, wow could I use a good sleep right now.

"Well, I guess I'll head back down now." I said, standing up.

The first light of the day was now beginning to peek through the windows and I've never felt more tired. I saw him grimace as he tried stretching his arms behind his head and reluctantly put them back in place.

"Yeah, try not to move around too much. Get something to keep those stitches in place, the hospital should make them more permanent." I told him, heading back towards the door, "And actually _go_ to the doctors Natsu, don't skimp out on me."

"I will," he nodded, a drone in his tone.

"_Okay._" I said back, mocking his deep voice.

I heard him smile behind me and cracked open the door, deciding to just leave.

"Hey," he called out to me, catching my gaze before I closed the door. He hesitated, wanting to say something, and finally just smiled at me, a soft look in his eyes. "Thanks. You really saved my ass today."

I couldn't help the sheepish smile from making its way up onto my lips. I shoved down the blush from crawling up my neck and onto my cheeks at that look he gave me, and gave a little bow, "Hey, what are neighbors for?"

His smile widened into a grin at that, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a way that I just couldn't help but admire.

"You're welcome." I told him, straightening up my smile. I walked out the door more, giving an shy little smirk, "You know any time you need a doctor you can call me. That to stitch you up, or shoot a guy in the leg, or…throw someone off a building?"

He laughed a bit at that, and I just jangled my keys, "I'll be below you."

He nodded at me, certainly, "Okay."

The blush made its way on my cheeks anyways, and I laughed girlishly, "Okay. Bye."

I finally closed the door, shutting it closed quietly and sighed out softly. I almost wanted to bang my head against the door. I still felt that gnaw in my stomach about asking him about his past. I hoped that didn't screw up anything between us.

I dragged my feet away from his door and headed back towards the elevators, pressing onto the button. I sat there, waiting silently and listening to the hum of the machinery and staring at those metal doors, and I think I realized then just how deep I was into this.

I really had it bad for him. Even now, after having that insane little adventure that completely drained me of everything, I found myself hesitant to wanting to leave him. I just liked being around him, was it so bad that I never wanted to leave his side?

I thought about it for a moment and decided that no, it wasn't. But along with that wish was the cause and affect that that little encounter before wouldn't be the last one. I would have to be faced with that more often if I wanted to keep this up with him, and even though he promised me that neither one of us would get hurt, there was still that doubt that had me nervous.

It all honestly just stressed me out. I mean yeah sure, of course the only insanely cute guy I know would be an assassin right? And of course I would let myself get dragged into all his shenanigans, because hey, _why not?_ I was a junkie for adventures, what can I say.

The only word that popped up in my head now as the doors finally opened was one that pretty much summed up this entire day and most likely my entire future from now on.

_Fuck._

* * *

**_._**

**_~RIP Melvin~_**

**_2015-2015_**

**_._**

* * *

**Just a little authors note, I suppose that I can release the fact that Melvin did actually die when he fell off the building. Natsu just moved his body and told Lucy whatever to make her not blame herself. Ah, these assassins and their lies, eh?**

**Review?**


	21. Bottoms Up

_Usually people argue over who's going to top. However, let's just say, Natsu and Lucy are…not these people._

_._

_._

"C'mon Lucy, please? I always do it," Natsu complained, following my hurried footsteps towards the bedroom.

I skipped on the last step, pushing the door open with my hip and spun around on my heel to see him straight behind me, a scoff leaving my lips, "Not true! I'm always the one ending up on top not even halfway through, that doesn't even count."

He shut the door behind us, and watched me simply as I sauntered backwards towards the bed, a little smile creeping up on my lips.

"But I wanna bottom this time, come on _please?_" he begged me, a coy little pout on his lips. "The whole time, no switching. I like it better sometimes."

We both started stripping our clothes from the freezing winter land outside, shaking the snow out of our hair and massive layers that had us trapped from each other.

I tugged off my boot first, eagerly reaching for the other one, and he tore off his scarf and hat, "Oh you like it better? Then why are you always so eager to throw me down and and be on top of me instead, huh?"

He scratched his pink head of the flakes, watching me as I let my giant wool jacket finally thump to the floor and kicked off his shoes, "I already said, I like switching around! And sometimes, I wanna be submissive, why is that such a weird thing?"

"It's not weird," I prodded, shrugging an arm, "You're just always 'Mister Dominant' over there, yet you can only hold that name until we're twenty minutes in."

He loosened the tie around his shirt, raising a characteristic eyebrow at me and started unbuttoning downward, "Well, yeah, I like starting it out that way, but you gotta realize Luce that I'm _versatile_–"

I let my mouth open into a amusing 'o', silently applauding him for that use of a word. I laughed at the needy lust in his eyes, finally unbuttoning the thick sweater I had over my final layer.

"And frankly, you flipping me around and taking control is pretty damn hot. Can you really blame me?" He finished, a feeble shrug coming soon after he tugged his shirt over his head.

I smiled at that, feeling a swell of pride wash over me as he was left in nothing but his pants now. "Well, you should know I only do that for you."

He gazed up to me then, a wary flicker in his eyes that I couldn't help but grin at, "You know I like being submissive, it's more fun for me. And I figured since you're always the one to–"

"Take control, yeah yeah, I know, hey wait!" He stopped both my mouth and my hands, freezing me in my place as I raised my shirt up to uncover my chest. "Don't take it off."

I creased a look at him at that, lowering my arms as I glanced down to the long-sleeved sweater I had on, and apparently, the one he wanted me to keep on. I didn't even have my skirt off yet.

"Really?" I wrinkled my nose, holding my arms out for him to look at.

"I like taking them off, c'mon, it's half the fun," he grinned, his eyes lit with excitement.

I sighed out a laugh at that, rolling my eyes at both him and myself. Okay, phew, I thought for a second there he wanted me to keep it on for the whole thing.

"Well then I'm ready," I propped my hands on my hips, looking to him expectantly as he fumbled with his belt.

I could see in the crease of his eyebrows that he grew more impatient by the second, a long string of curses slipping from his mouth as he tried and failed over and over to maneuver the belt punch out of the hole. I tapped my foot to mock him, crossing my arms over each other and let out a big, lonely sigh, pressing my chest up to catch his glance.

"Okay forget it, we'll start off easy," he decided in that instant.

He forgot his pants and came around to my side of the bed, yet I caught him before he could even lay a hand on me, "So we agreed? I'm bottoming?"

He stopped on his feet then, an annoyed glare in his eye that mostly managed to cover up the intense lust they held before. We _had_ been eyeing each other all night, and Erza's party seemed to last longer than both of us were initially planned. We were practically aching in our seats all night long, we honestly could barely even _wait_ to get home. It was something about that tie and shirt he had on that really just had me. Hell, the best part of that show right now was watching him unbutton it all.

"But I wanna!" Natsu whined, balling his fists up. I sent him a look, a smile teasing my lips as he prepared himself for another argument, "Come on Lucy, being on top is fun! Take control, do it your way, pin me down!"

I couldn't help the laugh as he waved his arms around, showing me in brief demonstrations how he wanted me to act towards him, and tugged on his belt, pulling him closer.

"You just don't want to do any of the work," I told him, feeling his skin shiver at my touch.

I brushed my knuckles along the exposed rim of his pants, undoing the belt myself in the slow, painstaking way I knew he loved.

"Hey, not true," He scoffed, and I noted how defensive his voice seemed to be, "I love the work, actually, it's worth it to watch you."

I raised a cute little eyebrow up to him, parting my lips open in a smile, "And I love being watched."

The belt finally opened up, and I gazed back up to his eyes, finding the doubt held in his.

He hesitated for a moment, before sighing out in defeat, "But I can so watch you from the bottom still–"

"Natsu!" I shoved his chest, hearing a squandering laugh bubble up from him.

He stumbled back a step, and I just huffed out, gripping my hair, "Okay okay! Here, how about this!"

I held up a finger at him, giving a pleasant raise of my features, "We take turns."

He gave me a look at that, seeming more confused than doubtful.

"We switch back and forth on who gets to bottom, that way it's fair and everyone's happy," I offered, smiling a bit as I did so.

He thought for a moment, before I saw a gradual smile come up on his features, his eyes light in agreement.

"Sure. Sounds good."

I clapped my hands, "Alright!"

He came towards me again, and I raised my finger to stop him…again. "My turn first."

He stopped on his toes and groaned out, knocking his head back to stomp his foot.

Yes! I won!

I cackled out, cheering, and raised my arms up in victory. He simply went in a brooding silence as I danced around in a circle, grinning more smugly than I probably should have.

Because I was thrown down on the bed a second later.

"Wha–" I managed to get out, feeling him crawl on top of me in the next instant.

He came up to straddled me, a knee in between my legs, and his breath suddenly washing over by my ear. He hiked my skirt up, and I finally felt his warm hands against the skin of my thigh, clenching it over and over, before he brought it up to throw over his hip.

His lips went immediately to my neck, and I had to struggle already not to let out a weak moan. His tongue traced the column of my throat, it's warmth pulsing against my skin, and I sighed out, fluttering my eyes closed.

I made the mistake of lifting my arm up to grasp his hair, because his hand snatched mine in mid air, pressing it back down onto the silken sheets beside my head. He pinned me, had me trapped, and I could feel his lips leave me at that gesture. I opened my eyes back up, taken aback by that, and met his unmistakably. He only held a light of amusement in his, and raised a challenging eyebrow as a comeback.

"What?" he asked, his tone rich and deep in his throat, "You wanted dominant, so you're gonna get it."

A shiver pulsed through me as his hand slipped underneath the back of my shirt, pressing his palm firmly against the unexposed skin of my back. Waves of warmth emanated from him above me, and they channeled through straight into my pores, making me want to press closer to him. His hand made it to the small of my back, lifting my body up against him, and his lips soon met my flesh again.

He kissed the very center of my collarbone, and I couldn't help but gasp a laugh at that, that wry chuckle turning more into a deep moan by the end of it.

"Thank youu," I whispered, that tinge of humor caught in my words only seeming to make him all the more eager.

He placed an open mouthed kiss right along the crevasse of my breasts, running his tongue right where his lips followed, and at the same time his hips circled mine, sinking me into the sheets.

I moaned, finding a deepening fit of laughter bubble up from the coiling starting to set in my stomach. I pressed back into him, lifting my hips up off the bed along with my chest, and he only had to take one second to gaze to the slip in my shirt, before he had the buttons popping off one after one. They were like music to his ears.

And, ultimately, mine too.

God, I loved the bottom.

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**Short, but cute right? I've been wanting to write something more flirtatious for a while now...**


	22. Gratitude

**Gratitude**

.

.

People always call me obsessively sentimental and memory hoarder like its some disease that I have no control over. They always see it as some weird habit that needs to be fixed, and always link it back to Igneel as something to help me cope with losing him for so long. Maybe that was so, he did always tell me cherish the memories I made with the people that I love, and honestly, nothing has made me happier than doing just that.

I liked memories. They made me happy, and it made me happy to remember back on the times to when I was also, very happy. I liked pinning up pictures and holding onto knick knacks from missions and being surrounded by the 'junk' that I've collected all throughout my life. It reminds me that no matter when or where I am, a good memory is bound to come out of whatever messy situation I find myself in.

And so, that being said, I also find myself remembering the exact moments when I knew I wanted someone to stay by my side for the rest of my life.

May 14th, X792, was the date that I fell in deep love with Lucy. It was also the date that I had asked her to be my first partner in the entirety of my time at Fairy Tail. I had slowly begun to realize how much she meant to me, and I'll admit that I don't ever think there was a specific date to when I just snapped and loved her, but May 14th…that's just when I knew for sure. I had no doubt ever since that day, and she gave nothing but more reasons to sink even deeper in love with her.

She probably doesn't remember this date, or even what its for, but I did. Hell, she never remembered any special dates that I found important, but it was okay. I didn't expect her too. Just another one of my 'crazy obsessions' I guess.

That didn't stop me from wanting to cherish this day though. I had avoided her all day because I honestly didn't know what I was doing, I had gotten her this present and whenever I tried mustering up the courage to come and give it to her, the timing just didn't seem right. I…I didn't know what I was doing. I suppose, I wanted to ask her out, if that was the right way to put it, but…that just didn't seem right either.

I didn't want this to just be like a whole, usual date like how she had with other guys. It was supposed to be special, and I just wanted to spend time with her. I didn't even know if I wanted to call this a date, I mean it was so much more than that. There wasn't a word that explained what I wanted and it nearly drove me insane. She was just so much better than some date.

And it wasn't like I was just doing this to kiss her or anything, I mean, if she wanted that it'd be totally cool, but that just wasn't the point. When I say I love her, I just mean that I can't really imagine life without her, ya know? Any day without her is boring and not worth my time, and that actually seems like a pretty good summary of what today has been like so far.

But not for long, because I was finally going to head over to her house and do whatever the hell I was planning on doing today, much much earlier.

So…why I was just stopped in the middle of the street? I was wearing this god awful outfit, scarf tightened, teeth brushed, and a freaking _bouquet_ of flowers in my hand, and…I couldn't move. I couldn't.

I was so close. Lucy's front steps were only meters away, and I just felt all of that bubbling excitement within me slowly drain away. She was standing there, under the dim light of her porch, looking adorable and shy in a way that I would normally admire if what had caused it was something else–_anything else_.

She was kissing some guy. She looked nearly frozen, but she made no effort whatsoever to pull away as he brought her in closer, his arms wounding around her tightly. I couldn't help but stare. And I could help the weak breath that fell from my lips.

It was when she begun to kiss him back that I had to look away. I let my eyes drift to the ground, a sick thumping in my chest that made it really hard to stand here right now. I mean…_look at me_. Wearing this ridiculous outfit, a stupid assortment of flowers, like…how cliche was that? After going on about making this special, making it better than just some date she had? She always had dates, she always had guys go after her, why would I be any different? Just because I remembered some stupid date of a day she saw of as any other one? Because I just had to remember every tiny little thing?

Stupid. That's all this was, stupid. All of this, me, this idea, this sentiment I had, all of it just so so _stupid_. Why did I–what could–?

I turned away from her then, a dry laughing bubbling up my throat at myself. _What_…was I thinking? People call me stupid all the time, but here, this, this was when I actually started to believe them. Stupid stupid stupid. My flowers drooped in my hand, and the soft echo of her lips pressing against his drifted into my ears, as if mocking me for thinking this was a good idea.

I found myself walking away, a grin plastered to my face and the stems curled within my fist. I was laughing now, because_wow_. How pathetic could I get? Dumb, more like, how dumb could I get?

I was whispering that to myself now, "Stupid stupid stupid," and I found myself sitting at home, hours after I decided to leave Lucy's place. What happened between then will forever be a mystery. A mystery that had me covered in dirt, sitting up on my roof with the stars above me, and crumbled flowers sitting in a stone vase, right by my side.

* * *

Lucy introduced the guy that kissed her last night to the guild. His name was Jacob and he was probably the nicest guy that I had ever witnessed before. I didn't meet him eye to eye, but I could see from the crowd gushing over him that he must have to be quite a person.

That was how the day went. The sun rose and set again, and I had barely spoken a word to her again, and nothing made me feel more crappy than having a day when her face didn't fill of most of it. I saw her though, when she was with him. She seemed happy. She was smiling and laughing and I remember distinctly how much warmth spread through just at that sight. This guy…he made her that way. He made her happier than before, and I don't think I could be mad at him for doing just that. That was low. I couldn't just dislike a person for making someone I care about happier than what I could've, and I wasn't about to sacrifice Lucy's happiness for my own comfort.

I loved her way too much to do something like that.

I sat now, on the back steps of the guild, and my gaze drawn to the stars in the sky. I toyed with the present I was supposed to give to Lucy, buried deep in my pocket, and it all just seemed like a waste of time and energy to get her this now. I mean, I knew she would like it but, I was hoping for some other gestures that would make sure she would_ love it_, ya know?

Too late for that, I guess.

I heard the door crack open behind me and I nearly jumped, snapping out of my thoughts.

"There you are," Lucy laughed, her body suddenly right beside me.

She looked down to me, that sunshine smile ever so present on her face, and I couldn't help with all my might but to smile back.

"God, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever." She joked, sitting down right beside me.

"Yeah, it's been busy," I shrugged, leaning back onto a step.

She sighed out, the air warm and crisp, and copied my movements, leaning back on her elbows. She crossed her ankles and let her gaze travel up to the stars ahead, a tired pout on her lips.

I fisted the box in my pocket, deciding it was probably now or never that I could give this to her. I probably wouldn't have much alone time with her anyways, and lets face it, this is probably the closest that we'll get to my little dumb fantasy.

"So you met Jacob huh?" she asked, looking back to me.

She had a little hope in her eyes that wished for me to like him, and I couldn't help but give her the satisfaction.

"Yeah," I grinned, "He seems pretty cool. Kinda wimpy lookin', like Gray, but I think we can toughen him out."

She laughed, bumping my shoulder with hers, "Oh say whatever you like, he's great. A total gentlemen and respectful, and he's just like…" she hesitated at that, musing it over a bit, "My knight in shining armor, you know?"

I gave a weak nod to that, offering a smile, "Whatever you say, weirdo."

She laughed despite that, bumping me again, and I realized then how much I missed her laugh.

It fell silent between us then, comfortably, and she sighed out, gazing back up to the stars. I sat up then, slowly, and cleared my throat. She turned back to me then, a curious light in her eyes, and I struggled with finding the right words.

"You know…the fourteenth was yesterday." I began, fiddling my fingers in my lap.

She giggled a bit, nodding, "Yeah?"

"May fourteenth?" I looked back to her, watching her smile fade out a bit.

"What, is this another one of your special dates?" she prodded, joking, "What happened on May fourteenth?"

_I realized I loved you._

"It was the day you and me became partners."

She hesitated a bit at that, the humor that flashed in her eyes slowly dying out. "Oh."

I gazed back to my lap then, licking my lips. "Yeah, you know, it's just another date, right? But uh, I got you something for it."

I handed her the box from my pocket, and she let it hang in the air. She stared at it, or most likely, the size of it, and slowly took it. I gave it my all to let this seem casual and not like I wanted to tell her like I love her and everything about her, but in all honesty, I did. I still did.

She sat up then, looking from the box to me, "You got me something?"

I nodded down to my lap, scrunching up my lips to the side and really really hoped she would just open it and let it be at that.

"You know I didn't see you all that day," she continued, a weak laugh leaving her lips, "I even looked for you. Why uh, why didn't you come by?"

I hesitated on answering that. I didn't want to. I looked back to her then, and I couldn't really muster up any smile right now.

"I did." Her expression creased at that, "I mean, at night at least. I came by, but…you know. You were busy. And it was just, bad timing, you know? The day didn't go as planned and…"

I waved a hand around, wrinkling my nose and just shook off my ramblings. She stared at me then, and even turned towards me more. "You had a plan?"

_No_. Just say no. It was stupid remember? _Stupid stupid stupid._Even this, now, was stupid. You're being stupid, just _stop_. Stop stop stop.

"Not really." I shrugged, "Just had that."

I nodded towards the present, and she fiddled with it, before brushing a lock behind her ear. She gazed from it up to me again, and gave me a confused look, "So…you came by at night?"

I bit down on my tongue, nodding a bit.

"You were with Jacob, and…I didn't really wanna interrupt, so." I shrugged.

"Oh," she blushed, her cheeks turning pink, "You saw that?"

"Yeah." I laughed dryly again, swallowing thickly.

She stared at me then and I forced myself to compose, a casual light in my eyes. I could tell she seemed sad at that, and I really didn't want her feeling that way because of me. I looked back to her, smiling a bit in reassurance, and nodded down to her lap.

"Gonna open it?"

She blinked at that, laughing a bit, "Oh! Yeah, yeah."

She slowly cracked it open, feeling the velvet under her fingers and continued to laugh, "You know I feel bad becau-"

Her words died out as her eyes fell on her gift, her smile fading and body freezing. She blinked, her hands going down inside the box and I saw the way she looked absolutely speechless at what she saw. Nothing made me happier.

"This…" she breathed in a breath then, her eyes finding mine, "You remembered?"

Lucy held up the musicbox from her lap, her fingers nervously fiddling with the engravings on it, and I couldn't help a small smile. I nodded at her, not wanting to break my silence, and saw her go back to staring at.

We passed by that same musicbox on a mission over a year ago. She went on and on about how her mother used to have one like that, engraved and etched, and played a melody her mother said came from the stars themselves. I don't think she realized I was listening, I was busy eating with Happy, but she was more than happy than to keep on talking to herself. I remembered though, and I don't think anything else quite like this would put such a befuddled expression on her face.

"And it's…covered..?" She looked back up to me for an answer, and I nodded again.

"Gold."

She exhaled heavily at, running her fingers across it again and I could honestly say, I think I got my moneys worth. It was expensive, extremely so to be painted over in _real _gold, but I splurged. It was worth it, Lucy was worth it.

"Oh my god Natsu." She laughed a bit, her voice watery. I saw tears prick her eyes then, and she looked back down to the musicbox to open it up.

A soft little tune came from it, metal stars bouncing around gently inside as she brought a hand to her mouth, sniffling her nose.

"It's just like hers," she laughed a bit.

The melody died out and she closed it gently, a smile finally finding its way on her lips. She gazed up to me, her eyes soft in a way that I wished I could see for the rest of my life.

"Thank you." Her voice quivered, and I felt her arms wrap around me tightly.

I hugged her. I buried myself in her hair and her scent and I never wanted to let go. It wasn't what I was expecting, it wasn't my fantasy, but I didn't care anymore. I hadn't seen her look so happy in years, and knowing that I was possible of making her like that made my heart swell.

"And you know, I feel bad," she sniffed, pulling away with a laugh, "I didn't get you anything."

She swung around, pressing her legs together and looked down to her lap modestly. I nearly laughed along with her. _That hug was enough._

"I don't need anything else." I told her.

She looked back to me then and I realized my mistake, but she didn't comment on it. I cleared my throat after that, forcing my eyes away from her and sighed out loudly.

I patted my legs and stood up, scratching my hair, "So yeah, I was just gonna give you that yesterday, and maybe do some other stuff, but you know." I shrugged, "Whatever."

I stood in front of her now, swallowing a bit and headed down the last few steps, before I heard a watery laugh behind me.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

I turned back to her, stopping on my feet, and saw her eyes creased in a way of concern.

I blew up my cheeks, pointing behind me, "Home..?"

She rolled her eyes at me, laughing weakly and twiddled with her box, "So you're just gonna leave me here? After you give me this…amazing present, and I completely ditch you on our anniversary?"

She stared at me then, and I felt my heart sink at the hurt starting to flood her eyes. "Natsu–"

She cut herself off, eyes wandering and let a scoff leave her lips, looking back up to me.

"Why do you always do this?" she asked me, "All these dates, and mementos, and pictures, and…why? Why do you insist on remembering these so much?"

I answered her with the only explanation I knew. "They make me happy."

She seemed taken aback by my simple answer, but really…that's all it was. It was just that simple.

"Those days Lucy, when you joined the guild, or when I met you, or when we went on our first mission together, they're really important to me. They're important to me because it was like a whole new chapter in my life, and all these new experiences were something that I got to share with someone really important to me."

Lucy stared at me, and that word pulsed in my head again,_stupid stupid stupid_, but I couldn't help but ignore it because_god_ did it feel so good to be saying all of this to her.

"Seeing you happy Lucy, is more than a lot of other things that I could want in my life." I said to her.

"And you know I lied," I blurted, keeping my eyes to my feet as she looked at me. "I did have a plan." I scratched the hair on the back of my head, swallowing again, "I was gonna ask you to come with me back to that cliff, you know? Outside of town, by the ocean? You always say how great the stars look there, so I thought that you might really like that."

Tears welled up in her eyes then, and I felt awkward telling her this. My mind told me to shut up already, but I couldn't. All of this just flowed out of me and it was like a dam I couldn't plug up.

"And you know, I really am glad you found Jacob." she flinched a bit at his name, blinking heavily, and I just shook my head, "You seem really happy with him, and I'm just glad you're glad. I mean, you know, I don't know much about relationships or anything, but I'm sure he'll be a good boyfriend."

Her lips parted in an attempt to say something, but nothing came out. She just stared at me, helplessly, and I felt something weigh down on my chest that made it hard for me to breathe.

"I just want you to know that, I think it's really good that you found someone that you love, you know, like that? And I don't know, if he loves you back like that, but I can promise you that someday he will. I can't imagine anyone out there who doesn't end up loving you." I laughed a bit, my vision starting to blur, "I just don't want you to feel like…you're…"

I shook my head, tapping my foot vigorously and snapped my fingers, "What's the word, uh, restricted? Now, because, you know that I'll always be here for you, no matter what. And I just want you to know that…"

_Shut up, shut up._

"There might be days, when you doubt that the people you love, love you back? But you just gotta know Lucy, that I'll always love you." I sighed out. She stared at me, her eyes wide and watery, and I couldn't help but just _laugh_.

"You don't ever have to doubt that I'll love you Lucy, because I always will. And I have. And you can always count on me to come save you." I told her, "And I know that you don't always need saving, but just in case, you know? I know I'm not your knight in shining armor, and I'm not a gentlemen, and sometimes I don't respect you just as a joke, but I really do. You're the bravest person I know, and–and…"

I cut myself off then, biting down on my tongue and sighing out. I shook my head to the ground, too much, you're saying too much. Shut up, shut up.

I laughed a bit, weakly, "Yeah…I don't know where all of that came from." I shuffled on my feet, pulling at my hair, "I'm just…really grateful to have you, Lucy."

I turned on my heel then, wanting to just dart away and rip my tongue out before I spouted anymore rambling nonsense, and she finally, after what seemed like hours, spoke up.

"How do you love me?"

I stopped at that, a lurch in my stomach, and a lump in my throat. What did she mean by that? I turned back to her, seeing her staring at me in a way that nearly had me to my knees.

"Like, you're my best friend and we'll always be together, kind of way?" she whispered, her voice dying out weakly, "Or…I want to marry you, and love you like no one else has before, kind of way?"

I smiled a bit, crookedly, and gave a little shrug. "Can't it be both?" I asked.

She inhaled at that, deeply, and I watched as she slowly picked herself up, setting the box aside gently. She strolled over, agonizingly slow, and she came up to me, a light in her eyes that had my fingers shaking. She approached me closely, switching her eyes between mine, and I felt her chest press up against mine. I swallowed. She had that same soft look she always gave me when we won our battles, beaten and raw and tortured, she always looked at me in a way that kept me going for years.

She nodded. A smile slipped onto her lips, and she sniffed her nose again, pressing her way into my arms. I felt a shiver run through me at that, and now, as her fingers went up to my face and brushed them along my skin, along my cheek, and I could barely keep her gaze. I swallowed and looked away from her, yet I couldn't help the warmth that spread through me as she simply touched me in such a way that was more intimate than we've ever experienced before.

She brought me back up to her, her nails against my skin still, and I found myself lost in her eyes again, practically frozen. Her nail went down to my lip then, tracing it softly, and I saw her gaze follow without a second thought. She stared at me in such admiration that I couldn't help but feel giddy.

She brushed her nail against my lip again, gently gliding it against my skin, before she leaned forward, and replaced that with her own. I felt paralyzed. Her lips were soft and smooth and I couldn't focus on anything but how her eyes fluttered shut in such a sweet way when she kissed me. I forgot to close my own meanwhile.

She pulled away, hovering closely against me, and looked up to me through her lashes. She blushed then, smiling sweetly at me, and I felt her hand fall down to my shirt to grasp.

"You know you're supposed to kiss me back now." She laughed, softly.

"Yeah, I uh, I…forgot." I blurted, blinking heavily. I stared at her in a way that had her rolling her eyes, her cheeks darkening with every second.

She laughed out again, gripping my scarf, and I felt her pull me back onto her lips again. She pressed hers in between mine, and I raised my hovering arms from around her and held her, tightly.

I kissed her back on that night, May 15th, X795, and it was a night that I would never ever, forget in my entire life. And it would surely be a day worth remembering, and celebrating.

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**A little crestfallen, not necessarily sad, but I hope you like it all the same :)**

**Also, I still have some more nalu drabbles to post obviously, but would anyone be interested in me posting a Gajeel and Levy fic on here? Or would you like it to be strictly nalu and maybe put it somewhere else? Just a thought I mean, lets face it, Gajeel and Levy are like the universal couple everyone can agree on, amiright?**

**Review with a thought and lemme know? Thanks!**


	23. 911

**911**

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"Okay honestly, this has got to stop."

I dropped my shrill polite, Barbie response tone at that sentence, pressing a finger to my temple and slumping in my seat. This was the third time, _third_ time this absolute mongrel has called for a team of firefighters to come get him out a tree. _A tree_.

He has gotten stuck in a tree three times. And for each one, I had the courtesy to take his call and have him explain to me in vague detail why the _hell_ he was stuck in a 30 foot high tree.

"_Why _are you up in a tree? Who climbs a tree at ten at night?" I asked him, my tone a little stronger than I intended, "And why do you keep _climbing_ said tree after you have gotten stuck over _three_ _times_ now. Please help me to understand."

I waited for a reply, drumming my nails impatiently, and I heard a weak moan and some leaves shake over the receiver. I pressed my ear closer, listening closely for him to answer.

"It's uh…a very complicated manner, long story," he wheezed out, more leaves shaking in the background, "Are those firemen coming?"

I sat back in my chair, crossing my legs over comfortably, "Not until you tell me what your deal is."

I heard a branch snap and more muffled noises come from him, "My deal is that I don't like falling 30 feet from a tree, please call the firemen."

"Really now? What could have possibly happened in that complicated story of yours to make you go back up in the same tree three times, and not figure out yet that you can't make it back down? I'm honestly curious." I picked at my nails, holding the phone between my shoulder and cheek.

"Oh come on lady, please? I'm really…I'm begging you here. Just help me?" He sounded reluctant to spit out those words, yet nothing made me smile a bit bigger.

I sat forward at that, a little pique in my tone that I couldn't help, "Is it a special tree? The chosen one? Has it been calling to you?"

"I WILL HANG UP AND CALL SOMEONE ELSE!"

I laughed at that, quieting down as some other workers looked at my funny and I heard him tussle around with more branches, his voice going shrill in a whimper.

"I'm trying okay! I'm trying to–" he groaned out, and I waited patiently for him to continue, "I'm literally hanging on a twig, and there are bats up here, come on lady."

I sighed out, giving a roll of my eyes and pressed a red button on my phone, "Alright alright. Someone will be there in a few, can you wait that long?"

"I-I don't know, I'm about to puke," he muttered, causing a grimace inside me.

"Why?" I questioned.

"*Because…I'm afraid of heights okay? I get all dizzy and my cheeks feel funny," he drifted off, and I really had to wonder if he was puking in the middle of some tree now.

I made a face, not a very pretty one, and swallowed at the coughing sounds he was making, "Okay well…the firemen will be there soon. Do me this favor and stop going up in trees okay? If your stomach can't handle it, I doubt you will be able to."

"Woah woah woah, wait wait!" he blurted out, catching me right before I hung up. "Can you stay on the line with me? I mean, until the guys arrive? I swear I'm gonna fall and I don't wanna die alone with the bats."

I resisted a roll of my eyes, "You're not gonna die. Break an arm at the most."

"That's not helping." he droned, "Can you just distract me or something?"

I tapped my pencil on my desk, shrugging at no one in particular, "Sure. Hey, have you named the bats yet?"

"Okay different distraction–" He snapped, more leaves shaking around in the speaker.

I smiled at that, looking at my nails again. I thought a moment, before cupping my cheek with my palm. "What's your name?"

He sighed out, his voice steadying a bit. "Natsu."

I nodded, "Hm. I'm Lucy."

He shuffled around a bit, grunting a bit as he did something, "Luigi? Kinda weird."

I shot him a look through the phone, "It's not Luigi you ass, I said _Lucy!_"

He started laughing then, a nice hearty one that was sort of hard to forget, "Lucy, Lucy, alright. Just a joke."

"Sucky one," I murmured, pursing my lips.

He let out another laugh, and I felt like I could just see his stupid smile from here, "Are you pouting?"

I straightened up at that, unpursing my lips and glaring at the screen, "No."

"You sounded like you were."

"Well I wasn't!" I hissed, "And if we're basing each other off of our voices, then you're probably stupider than you look."

I heard him smirk, "You saying I look good?"

I blushed at that, letting out an involuntary scoff as a quick reply.

"Are you flirting with me? I didn't take you as the bold type, seeing as how I'm stuck in a tree right now, but–"

"Oh get over yourself, as if!" I cut him off, sneering into the phone.

He was such an idiot, he better _hope_ he looked better than he thought.

Even if he did sound pretty cute.

"If I were hitting on you, you would be able to tell alright?" I told him, a proud smirk on my lips, "So I take it that you don't get out much with the girls, huh?"

Some more leaves and branches shuffled around in the speaker, and I found my smirk widening as he hesitated.

"I get out plenty." he replied shortly.

My smirk grew into a smile.

"Really? So do you often spend your Friday nights alone in a tree, or did you finally get friendly with those bats?" I joked.

He rustled around a bit, a wheeze escaping his lips, "You know you joke around a lot but you're not funny."

I smiled anyways, aw was I making him flustered?

"…Are you blushing?" I asked him, a little tune in my tone as a scoff came from him.

"No."

Oh he so was.

"Am I making you flustered?" I whispered into the phone, keeping my voice rich and deep.

A smile crept up on my lips as I noted the pause, only hearing a clear of his throat.

"You think you're cute with this?" he snapped at me, failing to show any real threat in his tone.

"I think I'm adorable," I sang to him, cupping my cheek again.

"Yeah well, we'll see about that." he told me, catching me off guard a bit.

I laughed a bit, unsure, "What, you gonna come see me?"

He had a little snark in his tone, "Well I have to see if you're adorable or not, obviously. That is if these firemen ever get here."

I hesitated at that, staring blankly at my screen. He wasn't actually going to come here right? Like come and see me? Like come and see if I was _adorable_ or not?

My cheeks heated up at that, and they only darkened as a throaty laugh came through the speaker, "Lucy, are you blushing?"

I bit my tongue at that, narrowing my eyes at my screen, "You're an idiot."

"I knew it," I heard him smirk.

"Yeah everyone knew it, this is the third time in a month you've gotten stuck in a tree." I countered.

I heard him rustle around a bit longer, a painful wheeze escaping his lips and a shaky grunt soon after, "Lucy where the hell are these guys! They aren't here yet!"

I chewed on the end of a pencil, clicking buttons on my computer, "Huh. Weird."

I noticed the flashing red light then, the one that I pressed earlier, and I swear I felt my eyes nearly pop out of my head.

"Oh," I whispered.

_"Oh?"_ Natsu repeated.

I yanked out my keyboard now, typing away as more leaves shook in the speaker.

"Yeah, I uh…the line was full, so…" I drifted off, painfully.

"So?" he grunted, yelping at the screech of a bat.

"Kinda forgot to resend the request…" I murmured, pressing the red button again.

I heard silence crackle over the speaker, and another branch snap. He hissed out, an angered groan screeching in my ear, "_Lucy!_ I've been sitting here for three hours and you didn't even–"

My eyes grew wide as a shrilly shriek cut off his words, branches snapping left and right and a harsh **thud** echoing in the receiver. A long groan came after that.

He just fell, didn't he?

I pursed my lips again, slowly tapping my nails again on the desk.

"…The firemen are on their way. Thank you for calling."

"I'm gonna kill you." he moaned.

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**Review?**


	24. The Spy Upstairs (4)

**The Spy Upstairs**

**Part 4 **

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It wasn't that I thought that Natsu didn't have any friends, it was just that I was more than surprised to hear him actually, you know, _talk_ to people? I knew he was typically loud and happy and it wouldn't be that big a surprise for him to hang out with people other than me, but I don't know, it was just…_weird_.

I mean this was the same guy who would sit in his bed for three hours cuddling his cat and suffocating it while having a pretty girl like me right out on his couch. He wasn't exactly normal.

I mean shit, if wanted to suffocate someone in a hug _hellooo_, I'm _right_ here.

Although this time around, I don't think he was talking to Happy.

I was walking up to his door when I heard voices inside. He was talking to someone, and by the sound of it, it seemed like a pretty serious conversation. He was getting told off by some girl who definitely didn't sound too happy, and it dawned on me then that maybe he was having some sort of meeting?

Like a SPY meeting? With all his assassin friends? Oh holy shit, that was awesome. Should I still come in? I mean he invited me over today last night, but I guess he had some last minute guests?

I sighed out, calming my nerves. Okay, think rationally on this Lucy, like he would have some secret meeting in his apartment, which has been _known_ to have been compromised on more than one occasion. I think even Natsu was a little more smart than that.

So…? Who was it then? Some girl in his apartment yelling at him? That…didn't sit well with me.

He wasn't seeing someone was he? No, nah, no way. I mean this was _Natsu_ firstly, who practically has shown no interest in anything but his cat since I met him. I mean he makes fun of how big my boobs are sometimes, you know like, "Wow, no wonder you fall over so much, I bet those things could drop you to the ocean floor!"

They were stupid, but it didn't fail to catch my attention that he noticed the size of them. I never caught him staring or anything. Huh. At least he knew not to be creepy about it.

Secondly, if he had a girlfriend, it probably wouldn't be best for me to always be hanging around him. He's never mentioned anyone like that, and I never saw him hanging around or texting anyone. Huh?

_So who the hell was this chick?_

A lurch settled in my stomach. Was he in trouble? What if he got captured?

I sighed out, a frown on my face, and I knocked on the door gently. I felt nervous. Any which way this was going to go, it didn't have me looking forward to it. I waited, impatiently, and I heard the voices stop suddenly inside.

It went weirdly silent, before I heard the girl whisper.

"Who is that?" She asked, like it was atrocious someone would actually be here.

I heard footsteps come towards the door and it cracked open, Natsu peeking his head out. He just stared at me and I couldn't read a thought in his head. He looked surprised, relieved, and nervous all at the same time.

"Lucy hey," he greeted, smiling.

He widened the door for me, and I was beginning to regret coming here.

"Hey Natsu!" I laughed, all too loudly, and stepped in.

He closed the door beside me, and I felt his breath against my ear for a fraction of a second, "You don't know anything."

A shiver went through me at that, yet I smiled anyways, to the two very intimidating people standing before me. Okay yikes? Was I not supposed to know about his job? What would happen if they knew I knew?

I saw the girl I heard and she practically towered over me like a warrior queen ready to take heads. I mean legit, blood red hair, bulked up arms, nearly 6 feet, and eyes that pierced through me. I almost wanted to melt into the rug.

I noticed a guy next to her then, and he wasn't that much different. Didn't look too happy, annoyed almost, and he just bore his eyes into me like…I don't know how, he just was and it made me uncomfortable.

"Guys this is my neighbor from downstairs, Lucy." Natsu introduced, showing a hand to me. His tone was very specific to tell them that I was a nobody. Thanks, man.

I smiled at them still, like an idiot, and I even did half a curtsy towards them, like an idiot. "Hey."

They didn't jump up to introduce themselves, _surprisingly_, so I just cleared my throat, "Uh, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, I didn't know you were busy?"

I shot Natsu a look, a bittersweet smile on my lips, and he gave one right back to me. "Sort of last minute, it's alright. These are just, uh…"

I heard the woman clear her throat then, tearing our eyes from each other, and she held out a hand to me, "I'm Erza, this is Gray. We work with Natsu at the uh–"

"Travel agency?" I finished for her, offering a grin as I shook her hand. She smiled back to me, weakly.

"Yeah, that."

Okay wow, it was so obvious they were spies. I mean I guess anyone could get that from knowing what Natsu did and putting together points, but even if I didn't know Natsu and I met these two on the street, I could tell. What was with these assassins and being awful liars? Shouldn't they at be a little convincing?

Obvious scars on their skin, worked out regularly, and it looks like the cliche of spies being completely withdrawn and emotionless was real with these two. Especially the guy, he needed to lighten up. Some hitman could pick him out of a crowd knowing he worked for a guy, like I was concerned for him.

"So," Erza continued, a chirpy little laugh in her voice. She gazed over to Natsu then and I couldn't help but cringe at the way she pierced through him, "Lucy how do you know Natsu? Do you, _hang_out often?"

I saw from the corner of my eye the way he stared at Erza. His smile fell, and I saw nothing but them talking telepathically. And something told me that she was anything but a little 'chirpy' at my sudden presence.

"Not much," I said, before Natsu could. She looked back to me, and I held onto any fragment of a smile I had left, "We only really get to talk on the elevators, I just came by to see if he had our landlords number?"

I stared at him, expectantly, and he didn't even glance to me. He kept his eyes in Erza's, "Uh, I don't think so."

I nodded, shortly, and blew up my cheeks. Wow okay. _Awkward._

While Natsu and Erza had their little stare off, my eyes found Gray, still leaning against the couch with his arms crossed. He still hasn't even said a word, what the hell were they talking about before I came in? He looked to me then, catching me staring at him, and he merely rose an eyebrow. I let my eyes wander away from his, looking around the room like I was following a fly, and swayed on my feet.

"Well, that's too bad." I laughed a touch, patting my legs. "I guess I'll just go ask someone else."

I backed up towards the door again, offering a way too huge smile and waved a hand as Natsu opened up the door for me.

"I'll see you later," I pointed to him, oddly enough in finger guns, and looked back to the two staring at me, "And it was nice meeting you two. I guess."

I turned out in the hallway on my heel, laughing through my teeth, "Not really."

I felt Natsu hit my foot as he shut the door and I glared back to him in the slit of the crack. The door clicked shut and I sighed out, dragging a palm up to my temple. Jesus those people were draining, why was that so stressful? And why the hell was Natsu so nervous if he worked with him?

Something didn't sit right there. Like I knew they were intimidating, but it's not like Natsu to be intimidated very easily. What did he know that I didn't?

"…real name?"

I heard Erza talk in her normal voice now, laced with a strong and thick tone. Uh oh. Was she gonna yell at him about me now?

I bit on my tongue, wondering if I should really snoop. Gah, that never did me any good, but really, I think I knew already that my weakness was self restraint coming to these kinds of things.

I stepped up to the door, pressing my ear to the wood and listened carefully.

"…a neighbor, we ride the elevator together when I get home and talk sometimes. Why are you getting all worked up?"

I heard Gray finally speak up then, "Because dumbass, you know why. You can't go around talking to people casually to the point where you invite them in mindlessly. What if she's here for a hit on you?"

"She's not," Natsu scoffed, "You two are just paranoid about every little thing."

"What makes you so sure?" Erza let out a laugh, "She seemed pretty nervous talking to us right then."

"That's 'cause you two are creepy as hell, who wouldn't be freaked out by you guys? Never smile like that again by the way, please." Natsu defended, "She's a nice person alright, she's not gonna hurt anyone. Just leave it at that."

I smiled a bit, biting down on my lip to keep quiet. Aw, he thinks I'm nice?

"Oh I thought you didn't know her all that well?" Erza accused, a sudden tension in her voice.

It went silent for a moment, and I could hear Natsu turning the gears in his head for an answer from here.

"It doesn't–"

"Natsu," Erza cut him off, and all the apparent amusement from her tone dropped in a blink. She paused for a minute, and I really wished I could see what she was doing.

"Does she know?" She asked, her tone going soft. My heart skipped a beat. Oh shit, oh shit. This was getting serious, Erza did not sound happy when she said that.

I waited for an answer, eagerly, before Gray spoke up again, "Wait."

It went silent for a moment again, and I furrowed my eyebrows, pressing closer to listen carefully. A sudden footstep right on the other side of the door had me jerking away, a shriek flying up my throat.

Oh _shit, he was looking through the peephole!_

I shoved the noise down in my mouth, dropping to the floor and crawling away on my knees. I fell out of sight of the door, staring at it wide eyed in case I was caught.

The door didn't open, and I honestly was just about to collapse right there. Oh holy _shit_, that was close.

I heard them start speaking again, but I couldn't hear. Oh well, that was it for me. I wasn't risking spying in on an assassin argument, I didn't have a death wish, thank you very much.

I skipped up to my feet, darting away down the hallway and pushed open the doors to the stairwell. I was still nervous, way too nervous. What the actual hell was going on? What would happen if they knew I knew? Why was it such a big deal?

I rushed down to my apartment, hurrying in and shutting the door. I don't know, it felt like they were hot on my feet for some reason. I sighed out, dragging a hand through my hair.

Jesus this was stressful.

Maybe I was in the clear though. Hopefully Natsu could tap into those decent lying skills and convince them. I didn't have much hope though, he couldn't even convince a doctor, I doubt it could convince trained assassins.

I found myself slumping into my couch, staring up into the ceiling. Ugh. How will I even know when I can talk to him again? It's not like I can go back up there now, what if they were still there? And I couldn't risk texting him in case they saw, that would be bad. I guess he would come to me then? _Ugh_. This was driving me insane.

I picked up a book from my coffee table, deciding if I were to worry about anything, it would be if these two fictional characters got together already. Time well spent, if you ask me.

I only got through half a chapter though, before I heard Natsu shout something outside my door. Someone banged on it, hard, and I heard Erza yell at me to open up.

My stomach lurched again, oh…_no_. No no no, Natsu what the shit did you do?

"Uh!" I blurted, jerking up to my feet.

I didn't want too, I _reeaally_ didn't want too. They were gonna yell at me, I just knew it, they were gonna yell and be mad and ugh, I hated that. Natsu I am _so_ gonna kick your ass.

I only got around the couch before the door smashed open, wooden splinters spraying everywhere across my floor. I gaped out then, staring at Erza's boot in the air.

She glared at me, fiercely, and I literally felt paralyzed in my spot.

"Erza just calm down! Will you two listen to me?" Natsu hissed at them.

He followed the two storming into my apartment, kicking the door shut into whatever remained of my door hinge.

I backed up against my couch, watching as Erza headed straight towards me.

"Natsu?" I panicked, switching over to him.

He came up behind Erza then, taking her arm, "Hey, relax alright!"

She yanked away from him then, glaring daggers into him now, "Natsu what the hell were you thinking?! She knows, she actually knows?"

I sighed. See, I knew he would fuck that up, I was just hoping for a miracle to be honest.

"It's not that big a deal!" He shouted back.

"Are you kidding me?" Gray snapped beside him, "Natsu I know you're a dumbass but even this is dumb for you."

Natsu whipped back to him then, glowering annoyed, "Oh would you shut up already?"

Everyone continued to burst out arguing then, and I was honestly still shaking in my spot. I breathed out a big breath, looking around to the three screaming at each other.

"Uh, hey?" I shouted, waving a hand, "Can everyone relax for a second?"

They all shut up, surprisingly, and for a second there I felt really accomplished. The next one had me giving an awkward smile as they all stared at me.

"Look, uh–"

"Be quiet." Erza cut me off. She threatened me with her eyes, and I was more than happy to comply.

"Right, okay." I nodded, falling silent.

She only let out a scoff then, rolling her eyes deeply and pressed a hand to her forehead, "I can't believe how badly you fucked this up Natsu."

I pursed my lips then, frowning at the fall in his expression. She glanced back to me then, hardening her gaze.

"Cuff her."

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"Ow, _okay_," I hissed out, stumbling as Gray twisted my arm behind me.

He walked me over in front of my tv, tugging me down to the floor and handcuffing me behind my back. I pouted mindlessly, cringing as he tightened them. Geez these people were rough.

"She knows who you are Natsu, this isn't okay." Erza scolded, somewhere behind the couch where I couldn't see, "This is bigger than you think and I'd _appreciate_ if you would get your head out of fantasy land and _see_ that."

Natsu sighed and she merely continued, "Think about it, she knows your name, your _real_, full name, she knows where you live, she knows your schedule, she knows that your a _god damn_ spy for Fairy Tail, I mean doesn't any of this put you on edge?" She gawked, "Even if she doesn't work for Zeref or someone else, how do you know she'll keep quiet? How do you know she hasn't already compromised _everything?_"

"Because!" Natsu snapped, and I felt myself flinch a bit at it, "How stupid do you think I am? Like honestly, you don't think I've already thought all of this? I would have noticed if she was someone after me, and she knows better than to go around telling people what I do!"

"And tell me this," Gray cut in, glaring at him from the side of the couch, "What the hell makes you so sure about her? Even you said you've only known her for a few months, what, have you bared each other's souls and now suddenly you know everything about her?"

"No," Natsu said, his voice dropping weakly, "You just have to trust me on this, okay? She's not someone you need to be worried about."

"Because you know her so well?" Gray laughed, stranding up to him.

I leaned up, warily, and saw Natsu stand up to Gray as well. He gave a subtle glare into his eyes, and I could see his teeth grinding behind his frown.

"_What's her last name?_" Gray asked, creasing an eyebrow.

I felt a shiver crawl through me at that, hitching a breath. _No_. No no no, don't ask that.

I saw Natsu soften his expression, barely, and he swallowed thickly. He didn't answer. He couldn't.

I made sure of that.

"You don't even know her last name?" Erza seethed, softly.

She gawked at him then, her eyes wide like the atrocity this apparently was. She sighed out, fiercely, and gripped her hair again.

"Are you kidding me?" She yelled, "You say we can trust her with our lives and you don't even know her last name?"

"It never came up," Natsu lied, glowering at them both.

Gray just scoffed at that, and I felt my heart jump as he came towards me, "Oh of course it wouldn't right?"

I brought my legs to my chest as he leaned over, his necklace dangling in between us, and I saw him stare at me in such a frigid way. "What is it?"

I hesitated to answer, I _couldn't._ I mean _shit_, I tell them this and I have a little metal bullet in my head for gods sake!

"What is your last name?" He barked, and I could only swallow harshly.

He waited impatiently, and I felt my voice drift away from me in a whisper, "I don't use it."

"I didn't ask if you used it, I asked what it was." He told me, sternly.

"I really don't–"

"Tell us!" Erza yelled.

I groaned out, banging my head on the table behind me. I just shook my head to myself. I had to tell him what I told Natsu when he asked, and I felt a gunshot in my leg from a mile away.

"It's just Lucy," I told him, "That's all I am, Lucy."

I knew it was bad I was refusing this, people made their names in the criminal world, whether for glory or popularity, I knew that this wasn't just about Natsu knowing me on a personal level. Most crime groups around Fiore were related in the same family line, so yeah, names were important.

Gray just stared at me then, and I saw him crack a smile as I dared stare back at him. He straighten up then, and my heart jumped in my throat at he pulled out a pistol from behind his back. I crawled away from him, as much as I could, and heard Natsu shout out at him.

He pointed it straight at it me and cocked it, not even a waver in his gaze, "Either you speak or Natsu loses a new friend."

"Gray," Natsu growled lowly, switching his eyes between us. He looked over to me then, and I caught his gaze. "Lucy just tell him."

I swallowed again, thickly, and felt a crease in my hardened expression. I couldn't keep this up, these were freaking trained assassins, getting someone to speak about something they don't want to is like one of their best skills.

Gray waited, and I saw the patience flow away from him with every passing second. I looked up to him, mistakenly, and he stepped in closer, a dark threat in his eyes.

I saw his finger slip onto the trigger and I gasped out, ducking away as he pressed down, "Okay okay! It's Heartfilia!"

Gray recoiled, and I felt a sickening pressure suddenly spread through the room. I exhaled, loudly, and I just really wanted to go sleep for eternity right now.

"It's Lucy Heartfilia," I told them, pushing back the sting in my eyes.

I looked up to see everyone just staring at me, a disgusted smack of surprise across everyone's faces.

"Heartfilia?" Gray scoffed a laugh, meeting Erza's eyes. He looked back to me then, an eyebrow cocked, "As in the Heartfilia Konzern? _Jude Heartfilia?_"

I opened my mouth to deny, but I couldn't say anything. I couldn't deny, it was true. Jude Heartfilia was my father, and as much as I wanted him erased from my world, he always ended up right back here, ruining everything I had worked so hard to gain.

Gray knelt beside me then, and I saw no light for hope in his eyes. They pierced right through me, and I couldn't help but feel like I deserved it.

"You mean the man who owned all of Fiore's railways? Who helped traffic drugs and weapons across our borders that ended up causing one of the biggest terrorist acts we've ever had to deal with? _That Heartfilia?_ The monster who helped kill _thousands_ of innocent people?"

"Yes!" I snapped, causing him to flinch, "That Heartfilia! That was my father, yes!"

Grey stood back up then, an unreadable expression on his face, and I waited for him to say something, but he never did. No one did.

I pressed my head against my tv, wanting nothing but to just bash my head into it. It wasn't supposed to be like this, Natsu wasn't supposed to find out like this, no one was supposed to find out _ever_.

I felt my eyes trail up to Natsu, speaking of, and I saw him staring at me in a way that had me wanting to hang my head in shame. I don't think he meant to look at me like that, but I caught the second he let his guard down. He looked repulsed, and I felt like it.

"I didn't know he had a daughter," Erza said then, a confused gleam in her eye.

I scoffed a laugh then, rolling my eyes, "Yeah well I wasn't exactly daddy's little girl," I found her eyes then, raising a brow, "_He wanted a boy._"

I couldn't help the snarky tone with that, anything and everything related to that man had me disgusted.

"Well isn't that just _great_," Gray laughed bitterly, "The kingpin finally dies and turns out he had a secret heir to finish what he started, wonderful! _Heartfilia_, Natsu? Really?"

"Hey I am nothing like him alright!" I shouted, catching his glare with mine, "He was a monster and I would never do what he did!"

Gray suddenly stuck his face in mine again, "And why the hell should we believe anything you say?"

I opened my mouth for a comeback, but I paused. I didn't have one. I didn't know why they should trust me, I mean I was the _daughter_ of one of Fiore's most renown terrorist accessories. I wouldn't trust me either.

He only did it for the money. Him and that _god damn_ money, he didn't care if anyone got hurt so long as he got what he wanted. Ended up costing his life anyways, and I can't say he didn't deserve to go like how he did.

He did, immensely.

"I don't know," I answered, weakly. Gray took that as a final answer, looking back to his partners, but I wouldn't let it end like that.

"Can you please let me explain though?" I asked, gazing to them desperately, "I can promise you guys I have nothing to do with what my father did."

Gray simply stepped over to the couch, slumping to it and stretching out, "Yeah well apparently promises mean jack shit now, so you might wanna rethink that."

He glared up to Natsu as he said that, and I saw Erza come into my view, "Alright Gray, enough. What do you have to explain Lucy?"

Natsu stared at me, desperately, and I saw him hoping for any pinch of good news about me. I could see it, he wanted to believe I was good, and I wanted him to believe that too. I couldn't imagine the betrayal he would feel if he thought I was only playing him for a hit.

"I ran away from him," I cut to the chase, not wanting this to go on any longer than it needed, "I knew what my dad was doing, not specifically, but I knew it wasn't legal. He bribed cops and judges and he had a bad temper when things didn't go his way. Believe me, I witnessed it first hand, and you can trust me when I say that I needed to get out of there."

I fell quiet then, and nothing settled worse in my stomach that the memories of how harshly he yelled at me when I simply embarrassed him in front of his clientele.

"I never mixed myself in with his business, he tried teaching me it but I didn't get into it, I didn't like it. So I just ran away, and I never heard of him again until I heard he died on the news." I told them, keeping my gaze bold, "I mean we had a few bad run ins, but I swear, I never wanted anything to do with him. And I would never, in a million years, even think of hurting people like how he did."

I breathed out, deeply, and waited anxiously for a reaction from one of them. I stared at Natsu then, and I found his eyes, "You gotta believe me."

I looked to Gray, simply staring up to the ceiling, and Erza studying me carefully.

"Lucy–"

"I don't buy it." Gray finished.

"Please," I pleaded.

"You have no evidence, you have nothing to prove any of this. For all we know you run the entire empire now and have been using Natsu to get close to his information. And we can't risk that," Erza declared.

I opened my mouth for another plea, but Natsu finally, after what seemed like hours, spoke up, "Can you guys just look at her for a second?"

He let their eyes follow me, a weak scoff in his tone, "I mean come on, _look at her_. She hasn't worked out a day, she lives in this ratty as hell apartment, and believe it or not, she actually saved my life once."

I gave him an offended look at that apartment comment, but hey _okay!_ He was on my side still? He believed me then? He still likes me! He's trying to defend me _yes_, go Natsu!

"You really think this girl owns the entire Heartfilia Konzern now?" He finished, and I felt no warmer feeling spread through me at the slight doubt of both of their faces.

It was quiet for a while, and I saw Natsu look back to me from Erza, and just at his look I felt something tingle inside me.

"I mean c'mon, I know you guys don't know her like I do, but you gotta believe me when I say that she's _harmless_." he sighed out, "And if she was able to fake all that we've talked about and been through together, and I still bought it anyways, then yeah, I'd gladly go to Mira with this. But I'm telling you now that it's not like that with her."

Something didn't sit right with the way he looked. He never looked so worried like this before, and I understood that I could be considered a threat, but he looked _really_ nervous. Who was Mira? Why did it sound so bad to go see her?

"That's the thing Natsu, no one here but you has ever even met her before but you. Your judgement isn't reliable, you have to look at this through our eyes alright? A complete stranger knowing way more about you and the rest of us than anyone ever should, you have to put aside your personal feelings and think about this rationally," Erza admonished, and I frowned as I sort felt like she had a good point there.

"I mean how could you just _tell _her this Natsu, you know our disclosure policy! We have it to protect ourselves and others around us, even if she is a nobody, all you did was just put her in danger! I mean what, do you tell all the pretty blondes you find yourself in an elevator with about how you work for one of Fiore's most secretive agencies? Or did you play twenty questions?" Erza spat, her gaze condescending. I saw Natsu lose more and more of his patience at her, before he finally just snapped at her.

"I didn't tell her anything!" He declared, "She figured _me_ out!"

I let my mouth drop open then. Oh Natsu…sweetie _no_.

_Nooooo._

Erza was taken aback like this, and I saw Gray sit up. She let a coy little smile tease her lips then, arching an eyebrow, "_What?_"

I think Natsu realized his mistake then, because his eyes shot wide open like Erza's head just started to spin.

"You didn't tell her?" Erza asked, slowly, and took a step towards him. He fell silent, and I really think this chick was about to bash his head in. "She just…_happened_ to guess that you worked for a secret agency against the threat that once was the ultimate enemy of her family line?"

Okay. Okay. That sounded pretty bad on my part, let's just hope Natsu can clear this up?

"Uh…I guess?"

Nope. I was dead. He killed me and I was _so_ gonna kick his ass later.

Erza smiled then, widely, and it was frankly freaking me and everyone else the hell out. She gave a big shrug of her shoulders then, laughing horrendously, "Right! Of course! Because out of all the normal careers your neighbor could have, the first one you suspect is an special agent in an organization that has never been released in media ever! _Only known by criminals!_"

She whipped back to me then, staring daggers at me, and I felt the need to clear my own name without any help from the pink headed idiot next to her, "To be fair, I didn't know the agency, I just guessed that he was a killer of some sort..He told me that it was Fairy Tail he worked for."

I drifted off, raising a brow, and I saw Natsu glare at me with a pout of his lips. I gave a meek shrug, hopefully, but I don't think it blunted the blow any.

Erza's creepy as hell smile finally dropped, the harsh and vile threatening aura surrounding her again, and I saw her stare at me in a way that had crawls in my skin.

"Grey get her up. She's coming in for questioning and interrogation."

I gaped at that, seeing Gray slump up to his feet and grab onto my bicep roughly. He tugged me up to my feet, and I whined out.

"Woah now! Wait! I lied! I don't know him at all! He's just some creepy guy I met in the elevator–wait!" I shouted, stumbling over my own feet, "Natsu I am _so_ gonna kick your ass!"

* * *

Well, after an intensely awkward elevator ride down six flights, I was brought down the street to a parking garage, practically being huddled around like I had my own secret service squad right behind me. I suppose seeing me in handcuffs wouldn't reflect good in public, but…I had to admit.

They made me feel badass?

Like I know that this is a really bad and serious situation, but hey, I had to amuse myself some way or another.

Erza and Gray brought me to some big black Hummer, and I really just wanted to lay down and go pet a dog or something. These handcuffs were tight and I lied, I so lied, I didn't feel badass, I was scared.

_Annoyed_, but scared.

Gray cracked the door open for me and I felt a sudden jerk on my head, causing me to squeak out as everything went black.

I scoffed out, my breath hitting the cotton in front of me, "Are you kidding me? You're gagging me?"

I felt someone push me into the car, and Grays bored tone drifted through the air, "Gagging is when we stuff your mouth with something, this is just so you can't see where we're taking you. Although that's not a bad idea either."

I groaned out, being shoved to the side and I felt everyone else pack in, and something warm leaning over me.

"Here," Natsu said, and I felt him tug the buckle over me. Aw, was he sitting next to me?

I mean I get that there are only two seats up front but still, aw.

Soon enough we were on the road, and that gnawing sensation sat in the pit of my stomach. I mean what the hell did they mean by _interrogation?_ I got how that could be seen as harmless, but I am _so_not good under that kind of pressure. I'm not good with people yelling at me period, courtesy of my father.

Thanks, asshole.

I wriggled in my seat, whining, the leather was hot and it was making my thighs all sticky and melt to the seat. This was so not cool.

"So are you guys gonna like, torture me or something?" I asked, my eyes trying to see through the pitch black.

I heard most of everyone sigh, and I tried unsticking my skin from the seat.

"Just interrogation." Erza said, up by the drivers seat.

I scoffed at that, kind of glad they couldn't see my crude expression, "Hey nah, I saw what Natsu's hands looked like after plenty of Zeref 'interrogations', and I'm pretty sure his fist did more of the talking than his mouth."

I felt the car jerk a bit to a stop, "You told her about Zeref?" Erza seethed.

"Oh my god, Lucy," Natsu drug out, and I could feel him staring at me with that same 'what the hell' look he gave me when I accidentally stepped on Happy's tail.

"Oh what? It's not like this can get any worse." I fell back in my seat. I sat back up a second later, still too nervous to relax, "And totally not because I don't want my face bashed, but you don't do like that waterboarding stuff right? 'Cause I saw in a movie with Vin Diesel once and it's looks pretty messed up."

I felt Erza take a sharp turn and I nearly fell over, my handcuffs clanking together as I straightened back up. Why the hell was I on the middle bump again?

"We don't _waterboard_ people," Gray said, an obvious tone in his voice.

"But you do other stuff?" I said right after him.

Erza made another sharp turn to the right and I slipped over, my shoulder flying right into Natsu. I felt my bone dig right into something on him and he groaned out, holding me up.

"Damn Lucy," he hissed, his hand leaving me to go hold where I hit him.

I sighed out, annoyed, and I felt my breath hit the bag currently over my head and bounce straight back to me. I brought myself back up, my legs unsticking from the seat loudly, "Well sorry, I didn't realize we were in a high speed chase!"

I leaned up between Gray and Erza, turning towards her speeding up again, "You're not from around here, are you? Lemme guess, Alvarez? Mid-west?"

She was silent for a moment, and I was beginning to think she was pissed again before she sighed out.

"How did you know that?" She genuinely asked.

I leaned back, crossing my legs, "Alvarez has no speed limits, kinda obvious you're not used to them here yet. You should take a course or–" she jerked us to the right again, and I heard Natsu muffle a thick groan. "_Something._"

"Can you quit jabbing me? You have bony shoulders," Natsu complained, pushing me back over.

"Well my hands are a little tied right now," I sneered, shrugging my _bony_ shoulders at him. "And_why_ are these so tight? What do you think I'm gonna do, break out of them? I'm a doctor, not a magician."

I lifted my thighs again, hissing out at my raw skin underneath, "And why do you have leather seats in one of the hottest cities in Fiore? I can't even sit in here, why am I on a baby bump?"

I groaned out, my breath hitting the bag again and I shook my head quickly. _Ugh_, I was sweating so bad inside this, my hair was stuck to my forehead and I could feel drops forming on my cheeks. Ew.

"Can I take this off please? It's hot and sweaty and I feel really gross." I whined, rubbing my cotton covered cheek on my shoulder.

"Oh my god, can you shut up?" Gray droned, an irritated huff slipping from his lips.

"No!" I shouted, wriggling my legs free again, "I will not rest until I've complained about everything!"

I heard everyone sigh at that, and I felt _no_ greater satisfaction at their discomfort. "This is what you get for kidnapping me out of my own apartment." I told them, keeping my chin up, before I pursed my lips, "Also because I talk when I get nervous, but mostly as payback!"

I leaned back, huffing out, and that swarming feeling inside me had me restless in my seat. I thought back to how rough Natsu's hands looked after coming in contact with of Zeref's followers, and I felt a shiver crawl down my spine. I mean not that Natsu would hit me, ever, but wow could there be a lot of creative ways to get me to speak about things I didn't know.

I leaned forward again at that, sticking my head in between the two, "You're not gonna like, rip my fingernails off or anything right?"

I fell back in my seat, hearing no response, "Because I just got these done and that's also really gross," I said to them, scrunching my nose up.

"What?" Natsu asked beside me, a weird tone in his voice.

"Don't rip my fingernails off," I told them, giving a simple shrug of my shoulder, "I just got them done and I don't want you to mess them up."

I turned my back towards him then, lifting my hands up as far as I could with these handcuffs, "See? French manicure, thirty bucks."

I wiggled my fingers then, hearing him stay quiet, "See em?"

"Yeah I see em." He said.

"So," I said, my tone obvious, "Don't go near them. You can touch anything else just not those."

I felt the car slow to a stop now, sighing out. "If you do then you owe me thirty bucks, plus an extra fifteen for the trauma."

I heard Erza open up the door, her voice tired, "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

* * *

Okay, I know I said I was nervous before, but now my meter was _way_ off the charts. They finally took off that sweaty sack from my head, but all I was met with was dozens of eyes staring at me. They walked me straight through their little hall of assassins, and I have to say, these people looked pretty rough.

I was sitting now in an interrogation room, and while I kind of expected this to be a murky dungeon with blood on the walls, it was actually rather nice. I finally got those handcuffs off of me and my wrists came out all red and throbbing, and all I could see in the room was how badly that bag messed my hair up.

It had one of those two way mirrors? Or one way mirror, wait isn't it called a window? I don't know, the point was that I could only see myself but others on the other side could see me. Lovely.

I sat, despite, clawing my fingers through my hair and hunched over as this lady _refused_ to let up on me. She just keep asking the same questions _over_ and _over_ and I didn't know what else to say, I mean of course I would keep saying the same answer, _I didn't know anything else._

"Can we take a break?" I droned.

"No," Erza said, before scrunching up her face, "Why would you need a break?"

"Because you're _stressing_ me out," I seethed, grabbing a fistful of hair, "I don't know what else to tell you!"

She slammed down her file on the table, "I want the truth!"

I flinched a bit, backing up, "What do you think I've been telling you? I've been telling you the exact same story since my _apartment_, what, do you want a timeline?"

She straightened herself back up, and I went on to explain _again_, my entire life story.

"I was born 24 years ago, my dad was just a business man then, but then my mom died when I was 4, and that's when he started doing all of that sketchy stuff. I put up with him until I was 17, almost 18, and I ran away from him. He kept his business up, but _I had no part in it. Ever_." I told her, boldly, "I never met up with him, I never even wanted anything to do with him. Then that big explosion happened and his life went to shit and he died, the end."

"You said you crossed paths with him back at the apartment," Erza accused, narrowing her eyes.

I groaned out, "Because! He was on the run and he thought that I would help him out with money and a place to stay, but _I didn't help him!_ I never helped him! Yes, I spoke to him after I ran away but all that was being said between us was me telling him to go away! That's it!"

Erza leaned over to me again, her eyes fiercely piercing mine, "How do I know he didn't tell you information before he was caught? It was obvious he was your first choice to run to after things got tough, so it's obvious you two must have been close."

"We were never close!" I whined.

"Close enough for him to come running back to you! How would he even know where you were if you say you ran away, huh?!" She shouted at me.

"Can you stop yelling please!" I cried out, fishing my hair again. "I really hate it when people yell at me!"

My vision felt blurry as I glared up to her, and I could feel how hard my heart pumped against my chest. I hated it.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't _know_," I moaned.

Soon enough I found myself moaning out continuously, my head plunked to the frozen table and my arms on top of that. I scratched my hair again, and I heard Erza just sigh out in front of me. I buried my face in my arms, turning to look up at her glance to mirror with a look.

"Can I see Natsu please?" I murmured, gazing to her from my lashes.

"No," she droned for like the _tenth_ time today.

I whined, stamping my feet and buried my face again. Ugh I just wanted to see him, _someone_ that I knew here. I _hated_ this, I have never been so stressed out and I just _really_ wanted to see him!

I heard a knock on the door then and sat up to see someone peek their head in.

"Hey, sorry, but I have those reports on Lucy you asked for," A girl said, barely over 5 feet tall. Erza came over and took the file, flipping through it, "She's telling the truth about her dad, she was under his parental control until she went missing at 17. We found out that apparently he sent people to track her, you know, keep her in line and make sure she didn't speak at all? It seems like her story matches up pretty well, and she is registered down as chief medical examiner at Magnolia's Hospital."

"Ha! I told you!" I laughed at her, pointing a finger.

She kept her eyes on the girl, forcing back a roll of them, "Thanks Levy."

I watched as Levy smiled at her and Erza simply turned back to me, not looking very pleased, "This doesn't mean your off the hook though."

I dropped my smile, "What?"

"Even if you didn't work for your father, you're still considered problematic and a threat to our organization." She explained to me, crossing her arms. "And not to mention the fact that you compromised one of our best agents without any incentive."

I sulked in my seat, pursing my lips, but was surprised to hear a dismissing sigh come from her.

"But, even I'll admit that I'm not the right person to be getting this information out of you." She said, "Levy, go fetch Mirajane. I think she'll do better with this one than I will."

_Mirajane?_ Like the Mira Natsu offered to turn himself into, _Mirajane?_ Oh _no_, no no no. She was gonna be worse, wasn't she? She's gonna be the one to rip my fingernails off.

Erza stayed behind as Levy disappeared, and I waited anxiously for this girl to show up. Soon enough she did, and I was more than surprised to see what she actually was like.

"Oh hi! You must be Lucy right?" She smiled at me, coming over to sit at the table.

"Yeah?"

"Well I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira," she greeted, "I am here to question you about your relationship with Natsu."

Okay wow, she was nice. Why was Natsu so worried about her?

I froze at that a second later, raising my eyebrows, "What?"

She laughed a bit then, waving a hand, "Oh don't worry, this is strictly about our disclosure policy. You see, our agents here have been tirelessly trained to make sure that our identities stay a secret–"

"One that obviously didn't work on Natsu," Erza added, bitterly.

Mira pursed her lips a bit, keeping her smile up, "Yes, and the thing is that, we have a rule that only immediate family and spouses are allowed to be exposed to this job, and obviously, you are none. And unless you guys are planning a secret wedding, I don't see any reason as to why he felt he needed to release that information about himself."

I blushed a bit at that, puffing up my cheeks, "Well…"

"And even then, there are dozens of forms and contracts one needs to sign to make sure that they will do everything they can to keep quiet. And last I checked, he never turned those in either," Erza rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Usually anyone who threatens the organization is dealt with by Mira, she decides who gets terminated or not."

_Terminated?_ What the hell?

"So, let's start hm?" Mira patted the table, "Now you met Natsu at your apartment building correct? He was your neighbor?"

"Yeah, he was up a floor." I nodded.

"Right, and when was the first time you spoke to him?" She asked me.

"Uh, I have really late hours at the hospital, so I don't get home till around two or something. I first met him in the elevator, during those hours, that's all I saw of him really." I shrugged.

"Okay," she scribbled something down, "And so, you two became pretty close in those few moments of the elevator? Enough for you to hang out regularly?"

"Well," I drifted off, remembering the whole big night, "I mean I liked talking to him, you know? He was interesting, but I guess it was how little time I had that made it more exciting to try and become friends with him."

Mira hummed at that, smiling a bit, and I felt a pit of embarrassment in my stomach. Natsu wasn't on the other side of the glass right? He wasn't watching this?

"And, it says here that you were the one who initiated the conversation about what he did for a living? So you knew that he worked for our agency?" She questioned me, warily.

I rubbed my palms together in my lap, my heartbeat quickening, "Well, not any specific agency, but…"

She nodded as I drifted off, writing something down. I felt Erza's eyes on me again, and I could tell she was thinking something suspicious of me.

"When did you first suspect Natsu worked for an agency?" She asked.

I shrugged at that, giving a dim smile, "I don't know. Around the third or forth time in the elevator I guess?"

Mira paused at that, glancing up to me, "You were able to tell that he worked as a spy while only meeting him in the elevator? For mere minutes at a time?"

I hesitated, blowing up my cheeks and laughed awkwardly.

"Did he speak about his work? What made you come to this conclusion?" She questioned.

"Well," I tried saying, "It was sort of just a dumb idea at first, you know? Like a joke? But the more I saw him and how vaguely he talked about everything, it sort of made me think about it more seriously. I mean a travel agency? Really?"

Mira glanced to Erza at my laugh, and looked back to me seriously, "When did you confirm to yourself that he was a spy?"

"Oh," I laughed, "Uh, well my flat is right below his right? I heard all these noises above like crashing and things, and I was like 'woah, someone totally broke in to kill him right?' And I went up to check on him and he just blew the whole cover. I mean I didn't see any evidence, but it was just how he held himself you know? I could tell."

My smile gradually sunk away as the two stared at me, speechless, and I saw Erza come back up to me.

"Every agent here is specially trained to hold themselves under pressure and is able to manipulate and lie themselves out of any situation, _including_ Natsu," She told me, boldly, "How were you able to look past that so easily? What, you just _happened_ to think that this guy you met on an elevator is an agent? With just how he 'held himself'?"

I sunk into my chair, shrugging a bit, "Yeah? I mean, I do that with everyone though! It's just like a game I play, something you think about when you're bored, you know? It was just a lucky guess."

Erza stared at me, completely flabbergasted, "No _lucky_ _guess_ would be able to compromise such a high level agent with simply by how he _spoke_."

I didn't say anything. I didn't know _what to say_, I mean was it really that big a deal? I'm sure it couldn't be the first time this happened, and did they all really go through lying training? They didn't seem all that great to me.

"Erza can I speak to you outside for a second?" Mira asked, collecting her things and standing up.

Erza and Mira left the room, and I sat in silence again as they conversed. Yikes, they seemed pretty upset about this. What did that mean for me? Upsetting them is the _last _thing I want to be doing right now.

A long while later they both came back in, although with some strange machine.

"This is a lie detector test, we're going to be doing a project, alright?" Mira said, setting it up.

"I swear I'm not lying guys," I pleaded to them, sighing out.

"It's not for you," Erza told me, setting down a notepad in front of me. "You will be conducting it on Mira."

I stared at them, weirdly, and Erza put a pen in my hand, nodding towards Mira now in front of me again.

I wasn't allowed to look at the machine, only Erza would be able to know if she was lying or not, and apparently I was supposed to ask her questions and decide if she was telling the truth or not. Erza told me that Mira was the best liar out of everyone else in their agency, so yeah, that had me on edge. What the hell were they trying to do here?

I went along with it, asking her normal questions, obvious ones, and compared her reactions to the ones where I wouldn't know the answer. It was actually sort of cool, I mean, now that I actually put some effort into really seeing if someone was lying, it was amazing to notice all the little things people did.

Mira's thing was that she swallowed more when she lied. It was actually really hard to tell, even I'll admit that she was good with this stuff, she sat still, no tapping or wandering gaze, nothing.

Afterwords I gave them the results I found, with the explanations, and once again, left me to sulk in my own silence. I stared at my reflection for what seemed like hours, and I was beginning to get restless. How long have I been in here? Where was Natsu? Couldn't he come visit? Why did they make me do that weird test?

The two came back inside then, holding another big folder against their chests.

"Alright Lucy," Mira sighed, sitting back down again, "We have some standard personality and intelligence tests we'd like to conduct."

I groaned loudly, falling back in my seat, "Are you serious? You realize that I have a job right? A boss? One who will not be too happy to see that I'm not at work? How many more things do I have to do?"

"This is the last of it, I promise," Mira laughed, flipping open the file.

I let my head hang over the back of the chair, moaning again, and _seriously_ tried not to fall over and pass out. I was hungry and thirsty and tired and all that sweat from behind left me sticky now and I _so_ wanted to go home.

They asked away then, writing down all of my answers and I really had to focus on not cringing with each of these questions. They were so weird? Like they were asking me math questions and vocabulary like I was back in college or something, what the hell is that?

I sat now, my palm against my temple and eyes tired. "I have to pee."

"Okay," Mira sighed, flipping her folder shut. I sat up as she stood up, surprised, "We're all done here. You can go find Natsu or something, and we will go turn in these results okay?"

I watched as they both headed to leave, confused, "You're just gonna let me go roam about here? In your secret base?"

Mira turned back to me, smiling, "Well, you're no threat right? You already know about us, and Natsu seems to trust you."

"We _can_ trust you, right?" Erza asked, raising a brow.

I nodded at that, quickly, and I watched as the two left, Erza a bit more warily, and left the door open.

I jumped up at that, grinning like no tomorrow and headed back out. Yes! I was done? I could leave? I totally lied by the way, I didn't have to pee, I just wanted an excuse to get up.

I turned down the winding halls then, finding the den it seemed like, and I felt the familiar sensation of dozens of eyes staring at me again. Yikes.

I saw Natsu by the back table then, eating and reading something off his phone. I came over, awkwardly avoiding all the other eyes and leaned into his view.

He looked up to me, surprised, and I honestly couldn't contain the giant smile on my lips then, _god_I was so relieved.

"Hey," he said, stepping up, "How are you doing?"

"They have been doing nothing but making me do all sorts of weird shit for the past day, I'm exhausted." I sighed out, grabbing his cup to drink from.

He smiled a bit then, shrugging, "It's only been a few hours, but I guess I can understand. How are you holding up? Are you done?"

I nodded, downing what tasted like old coffee and ran a hand through my hair, "That's what they said. They got all bugged out when I told them about how I knew you were an agent, and all the sudden things got serious."

"Well yeah," Natsu laughed, "I mean a nobody nurse shouldn't exactly be able to tell if I work for a guy just by a thought. It's not exactly normal."

I gave him a weird look then, cocking an eyebrow. I was a _doctor_, but I dropped it, "So this hasn't happened before?"

He shook his head visibly, widening his eyes, "_Noo._"

I puffed up my cheeks at that, feeling a bit nervous again. Huh. That _was_ weird.

I leaned back against the table then, thinking, and Natsu came around in front of me.

"They made me take all these weird IQ tests and lying tests, what do you think that was about?" I asked him, staring off into space.

I glanced back up to him and he shrugged, "I dunno. Just gotta wait and see what they come up with."

I fiddled my fingers mindlessly as I thought, and all I saw honestly was _nothing_ good coming out of this. I sighed out, shakily, and swallowed. I was getting nervous again, I could feel it.

"Hey, just relax alright?" Natsu's voice drifted into my ears, and I looked back up to him. He stepped in closer, concern showing on his features, "Nothing bad is gonna happen, I promise."

I shrugged meekly at that, frowning still. I would like to believe that, but a part of me still said that he had no control over what happens if it does go bad.

I felt him pinch the bridge of my nose then and I laughed, crinkling it mindlessly. He suddenly grinned at that, nudging me with his knee, "C'mon."

I sighed, pouting up to him, but I really couldn't help the smile behind it. What can I say, he knows how to cheer me up.

"Fine," I breathed, rolling my eyes.

He grinned at my smile, and I glanced away for a second only to see more than a few pairs of eyes looking at us. Some smiling, and more laughing.

Needless to say, I blushed.

"Natsu, Lucy? The results are in," Mira called from the doorway.

We both went over and followed her back to Erza and Levy, staring down to a tablet in the hallway.

"So? What's it say?" Natsu asked, quick to the point.

"It's amazing," Levy laughed, tapping through pages on her device, "I mean it's kind of insane really."

I frowned at that, giving her a look, "What does that mean?"

She looked up to me, still smiling, and showed me the charts on her screen, "You managed to guess correctly on more than half of the lies that Mira told you. And considering that she's our best manipulator and _no one else_ has been able to figure her out so specifically, it's truly outstanding."

She flipped through to another page, still beaming, "And the notes you wrote on her, they were so particular that you would've thought you had training like this somewhere. Are you sure you've never taken a course or anything?"

I just shook my head, hesitating a bit, "Not really, but, well I took a human behavior class in college. All it taught was the basics though, like tapping and eyes wandering and stuff. I dropped it though, I wanted to be more hands on so I went with medicine instead."

"Wow," Levy awed, "I can't believe you managed to learn so much from so little."

I glanced to Natsu staring at me and shrugged a bit, hearing Erza speak up, "What about the IQ?"

"Oh!" Levy tapped excitedly, "This is really great too! I took the results and compared them to the national average of regular colleges and students, and this chart tells me that her intelligence is_way_ over the average line–"

She showed us another chart that I narrowed my eyes at, raising an eyebrow.

"This line right here tells us that you're practically borderline _genius_," Levy laughed.

Genius? What?

I felt everyone's eyes on me, and I looked just as confused as them. Except for Levy, she just looked like she found the cure for cancer.

"What college did you say you went to?" She asked me.

I shuffled on my feet, "Uh, community?" Erza gave me a look then and I shrugged, "I got really poor really fast when I ran away from Jude, I didn't have a lot of options."

Probably why I didn't find out about this sooner.

I saw Levy searching through her files again, her eyes bright and wide, "It's so weird though, like its so easy to comprehend now why it was so simple for you to figure out all you did about Natsu, but even with your IQ scores, figuring something like this out on this level should at least show some type of training."

"Your perceptive skills when it comes to reading humans is pretty out there, I mean you're like the girl version of Sherlock Holmes basically," she giggled, "What did you say was your job again?"

"Medical examiner," I crinkled my nose.

Levy nodded at that, but everyone else didn't seem too filled in, "People die and I tell detectives what killed them. Like what kind of weapon and stuff."

A variety of 'ohs' sounded through the room.

"That also might be it, I mean you have to have a good eye for that kind of stuff right? Looking for tiny details?" Levy asked, grinning, "I mean you were able to notice how often Mira swallowed when she told a lie, of course you have a good eye."

I suddenly grinned then, biting my lip to force it down. I swayed over to Natsu looking more that a little alarmed, giving him a look. "Genius huh?"

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "Borderline."

I laughed and clapped, jumping on my toes, "This is so cool, I never thought me thinking all that stuff would actually be important one day. It was sort of like a pastime for me, ya know?"

"Well I can say, it has been a honor meeting you Lucy, this was definitely something to cheer me up today," Levy beamed at me, holding out a hand, "I feel like we'll be good friends."

I shook her hand, giving a shy smile, "Aw, thanks!"

I leaned over to Natsu, grinning, "She's so nice!" I whispered.

He nodded a bit, grinning back to me, and I saw Levy and Mira leave down the hallway chatting. Erza sighed out, tiredly, and pressed a hand to her head.

"Well I think we're done for today. Natsu take her home. Or hang out here. I don't really care." She droned, walking away slowly.

I watched her walk away, a smile teasing my lips, and swayed in front of Natsu. He only gave me a look then.

"Don't go thinking you're better then me," He said to me, cutting off my laughter, "I could still kick your ass."

I seethed in a smile, wrinkling my nose again, "Yeah but you won't."

He rose an eyebrow, "Oh? And how can you tell?"

I laughed out then, pointing to my head, "Borderline genius! I know everything!"

"Oh whatever," he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

I couldn't help the fit of giggles that left me, I was _way_ too happy right now. I jumped to his side and bumped his hip, lacing my arm with his. "Well c'mon!"

"What?" He looked to me, half a smile on his lips.

I nodded down the hallway, practically jumping in my place.

"Show me around, will ya?"

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**THIS IS SO LONG I'M SO SORRYYWUY–but at least we will meet some familiar faces now ;)**

**Fourth part out, yay! Review and lemme know how you think it's going so far! :))**


	25. Charmed

**"I am a witch's apprentice and have trouble keeping all the magic stuff a secret and you are my neighbor and one of my spells went wrong and now my radio keeps blasting lovesongs whenever you walk by my apartment and i think this is sending embarassing signals."**

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"Erza what the hell!"

I waved my hands around my body furiously, swatting away the puffs of dust and pink sparkles that caused me to cough loudly. I held my arm over my nose and mouth, glaring at the woman intensely.

"Huh…nothing happened," She said softly, raising an eyebrow at the book in her hand.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, the air clearing up around me.

The witch looked at me (you can register that name however you like, either way works) and sighed loudly. "Quit being so loud, relax. It was a spell."

"Spell for what?" I gaped at her, my stomach churning at the thought. "Did you just hex me! Again!"

She ignored me, but I walked up to the other side of her cauldron, sticking my face in hers, "Just because I work for you, it doesn't mean you can mutate me with all your creepy magic things."

She rose an eyebrow at me, finally glancing up from her book, and I felt my mouth dry up. "It was a simple test run of an unknown spell Natsu, you're still breathing aren't you? Yes, you are. So quit complaining and go fetch me Volume 2 of this book."

She dropped the giant spell book into my arms, smiling, and went back into her lair, her heels clacking against the stone flooring. I sighed, glancing up to the mountains of books behind me.

What a witch.

I dragged myself home after a few good hours of book searching, my thoughts still training on the spell Erza cast on me earlier. I didn't feel any different, except that I was a little tired, but I doubt the spell was the reason for that. It was another unknown one she said, yet apparently non-lethal.

Erza was the only witch I knew, I had heard her speaking of others that she knew personally, but I'd never seen them. Once I accidentally caught her using her magic she needed a way to keep an eye on me, so she offered me a job to come be her assistant. It was actually decent pay, and the magic was very interesting to watch.

When you're not the training dummy.

I stopped at my apartment door, dropping all my bags of ancient spells Erza needed me to translate and searched in and out for my keys. I heard a door crack open, and a familiar voice echo through my head.

"Hey Natsu," Lucy, my neighbor, said.

I looked back to her quickly, feeling a grin fall on my face, "Lucy, hey."

Lucy was this super nice girl who lived right next door to me, and she always made an effort to at least say 'hi' to me at some point in the day. Which, I actually really liked. She was cute and sweet and I wasn't completely sure, but I think I might love her? I don't know, maybe it's a schoolgirl crush, but I knew one thing, and that was I wouldn't mind waking up to her face everyday for my life.

"Looking for your keys?" She asked, holding up my keychain, smiling, "You dropped them this morning, but you were gone by the time I saw them."

She walked over and handed me them, and I could smell her shampoo from right here, "Thanks, again."

She laughed a bit, sounding like chimes, "No problem. You should slow down a little in the morning, you always seemed stressed out."

I shrugged modestly, "Stressful boss."

"Ah yes, I know," she nodded as well, her pearly teeth opening up for another grin, "You have that demon for a boss right?"

"Still and always," I sighed, jerking open my door and picking up my bags.

"Oh, well I hope things start turning around for you. I'm sure they will anyways," She said sweetly, starting to back up towards her door again.

See? What did I say? She was like an angel sent from God on his birthday.

I grinned a little, lowering my head to hide the pink on my face, "Thanks."

She did the same, smiling, and went back inside her room, closing the door shut.

I sighed and went inside too, only to have to start translating these hieroglyphics.

About two hours passed and I was now laying on my floor, wearing sweatpants and watching some scary movie in the dark. Even though it was around 9:00.

I gave up on Erza's homework about half an hour in, deciding to pull the excuse that I was too stupid to read the pictures and let her deal with it, even if I would end up with some weird hex as a punishment.

I heard a knock on my door, and I stood up, turning on the lights and cracking it open. I saw the only face in the world that could make my stomach jump into my throat.

"Hey Natsu," Lucy said quietly, giving a little wave.

"Hi," I said right back, opening up the door for her, "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if I could check out your terrace? You know for work?" She whispered.

Oh right, and I guess I should mention that she was this insanely smart astrophysicist? She knew all these math equations and hard algorithms and stuff; there was literally nothing to dislike about her. I always saw her looking through her telescope on the fire escape at nights, yet I had to admit I'd rather watch her then the stars.

"Oh right, yeah sure," I nodded, a little too eagerly, and let her in.

"Great!" She grinned, picking up her laptop case from the floor behind her.

I saw her in a tank top and cotton shorts, smiling at the snowman dog creature she had on literally every piece of clothing she owned. It was weird, but oddly cute at the same time.

She wrapped the strap over her shoulder and stepped into my apartment, a sudden blast of music making us both gasp.

"_I think I'm falling, I'm falling for you-_"

Lucy jumped from the song suddenly blaring from my stereo, tripping on her feet back out of my door. She stared at me, bewildered, as the music stopped then.

I stared at my stereo, confused. Why did it just start playing some love song?

Lucy laughed nervously, shaking her head and stepped in my room again, stopping on her toes.

"_Oh kiss me! Beneath the milky twilight–kiss me!-_"

She jumped back again, whipping her head to me as it cut off.

That can't be a coincidence. Oh no, no no. Please don't be something.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what's up with this thing," I said quickly, walking over to the speakers.

I pressed the off switch, seeing her smiling still. She hesitantly walked through the door again, the lights popping up on the screen.

"_You're a doll, you are flawless–and I just can't wait for love to destroy us–_"

I spun around, jumping at the sudden song and slammed down on the power button, yet it kept playing loudly.

Lucy slowly stepped out again, her suspicion rising as the song cut off again. I leaned back and yanked the cord from the wall, returning to my spot casually.

She stepped back in-

"_Baby I'm yours, until two and two is five- in other words, until the end of time-_"

She stepped back out, silence filling the air. I blew up my cheeks.

She rose an eyebrow, stepping a foot through my doorway.

"_You were the only one to see me, the only one I'll ever love-_"

She stared straight at me as she stepped out, the music cutting off again. Her lips parted, and I had a feeling she knew who all of those songs were meant to be about.

"Uh," she laughed a tad, deciding to finally walk in completely.

"_Baby I love you, I never wanna let you go…_"

She stayed this time, swaying on her toes, and I turned around again, staring at the cord still unplugged. I yelled a variety of curses in my head, thinking furiously for a solution.

"Sorry, this thing is so weird sometimes," I laughed, picking up the stereo and bringing it over to the flowerbox window.

"_The more I think about the more I wanna let you know, that everything you do is super fucking cute and I can't stand it-_"

I slammed the window down, the music settling to a dull hum from the glass and gave her a tired grin.

"Was that thing unplugged?" She asked, curiously smiling.

I leaned against the window frame, blowing up my cheeks and shaking my head, "Uh…no…well, I mean yeah, of course."

She rose her eyebrows at me.

"It had batteries, you know." I nodded, reassuringly.

"Batteries and a plug?" She questioned.

"Just for backup," I shrugged, scratching the back of my head.

I heard the music start getting louder behind the window, the lyrics becoming less faint.

"_Give me all your love now, cause for all we know we might be dead by tomorrow-_"

I sighed in my mouth, holding it in. Lucy nodded slowly, and I saw a certain look on her face that I didn't know how to react to. She looked like she knew what was happening. Yet, she didn't say anything.

"Well, you know what, I think I can just use the fire escape again," she said, slowly backing up towards my door again.

I opened my mouth, actually wanting her to stay, but the music blaring behind told me that her idea was probably better. I closed it, keeping it shut.

"You should get that stereo checked," she turned back, offering a playful smile to me, "Sounds like that thing has a little magic in it or something."

I felt a shiver run down my spine. I saw her smile widen, her hazel eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint I usually only saw on Erza.

"Interesting songs by the way," she commented, holding the door behind her.

She gazed back at me, speechless, and raised her hand in the air, circling her finger around. The stereo behind me finally stopped, silence flooding through the room again, and I whipped back to her.

She rose an eyebrow at me, before closing the door, and leaving me to myself.

I stared at where she just left, my lips parted and mind swarming. I swallowed thickly. _Holy shit._

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

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**I completely forgot about these thousands of drabbles I did, so here's a crapload of them x)**


	26. Justice

Justice

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There were few times in my life where I had no earthly idea what I was feeling, and all of them were at times in my life when I had lost someone. I remember how it made me feel, how I was scared and angry and miserable and just utterly devastated to the point where I couldn't even function. I saw a glimpse of it when I almost lost Erza at the Tower of Heaven, and I felt the full affect when I had lost Lisanna. And then an even worse case when it was Lucy during the Grand Magic Games. I never wanted to feel that way again, so out of my mind in a rage that I couldn't even think straight. It drove me insane.

I experienced something different when Igneel died. There was no one to be mad at, so all I felt was this giant pressure on my chest that I couldn't lift. It was like I was drowning and I couldn't pop up for air, so I just sank, screaming for something to happen, anything to happen, but nothing ever did.

The last time that feeling happened was when Happy died. He was killed, by some lowlife from a dark guild on some stupid mission that wasn't even worth it. I was literally blinded when I saw him. I wanted to _rip_ that guys throat out, but I couldn't move. I couldn't move when Happy was just laying right there, still and silent. He wasn't smiling or laughing or _happy_ like how he should be. He shouldn't of died like that, he didn't deserve it. He was innocent and _harmless_ and the bastard just…_snapped_ him.

Lucy told me she chased him down, but he fell off of the mountain we were on. He died. She went down to check his body and his spine was broken, so he died immediately, which was way too easy for him. But there was nothing I could do. There was no way to make him suffer like how he deserved. He just checked out easily, no pain or even a thought. I hated him even more for that.

A while passed and I think everyone slowly moved on, but it was never the same. Nothing was the same without him. People weren't as bright, there was no one left to crack jokes or light up the room with just their presence. And even after all this time, that burning, wracking feeling inside of me was only pushed down. I never got my revenge, and it _ate_ at me for the longest time. But it was subdued. I pushed it down and away because that's what I had to do, it was healthy and nothing would ever change.

But I felt it rising again. I felt it pulsing and churning and _bubbling_ over from inside me because _everything I knew before was a lie._

"Natsu please," Lucy whispered.

I held the note in my hand, crumbling in my hold. My breath felt shallow, and that horrifying sensation of my throat closing up again started.

"What is this?" I breathed, glaring up to her.

She stilled in her place, her fingers trembling against each other as she stared at me like some hurt puppy. Tears filled her eyes, and her lips parted, but she struggled to find her voice.

"You were never supposed to find out," her voice broke, going soft.

I crushed the paper in my hand, and I could practically _feel_ the rage pouring out of my pores.

"_Find out?_ You kept this from me?" I yelled.

She flinched a bit at my voice, lowering her head to the floor, "I'm sorry…"

I scoffed at her, dragging a hand through my hair and gripping it. I wanted to pull it out, I wanted to pull it all out.

"Lucy," I swallowed a thick gulp of air, "You knew he was alive? The man, that _monster_ who _murdered_ Happy, you knew he was still alive? Ever since it happened, you knew? And let him _fucking walk?!_"

"No!" She defended angrily.

"Did he even fall like you said?-"

"Yes Natsu!" She cut me off, loudly, "He fell! And he was knocked out!"

I threw the paper across the room, "You told me he _died!_ He broke his spine and he was _dead_, that's what you told me!"

She was crying now, biting the inside of her cheek and slowly shook her head. "I'm so sorry."

I stared at her. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to feel. Lucy. _Lucy_. She said that to me? She out of all people did this to me?

"You lied to me._You lied to me._" I swallowed. I gritted my teeth, wanting to bash someone's head in _so_ badly.

"I know I know, I'm so sorry Natsu," she pleaded, stepping closer.

"_You._ You…" I shook my head. I couldn't believe it. Lucy has never lied to me, and I sure as hell have never lied to her. I could get a white lie, but something like _this?_ The fact that the sicko who killed Happy, _my best friend_, was still alive and breathing? How could she do this? How could she just tell me that lie, _why_ would she do that?

"Natsu he's locked away," She tried saying, grabbing hold of my arm.

I nearly laughed. I really did. A scoff of one came out instead, yanking away from her. I stumbled back, my eyes getting blurry. I felt it again. That overwhelming pressure just _sitting _on my chest. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

I grasped her doorknob, throwing open the door and shaking my head.

"Natsu please don't go! I'm sorry! Let me explain, please!" She begged behind me, but she sounded so far away.

I didn't realize I was crying until I stalked out. I felt the world on my lungs, and knives in my throat. I ran away. I didn't know where I was going, but I just ran. I've never felt like this before, I've never been betrayed so _awfully_. Lucy was the closest person I knew that was still _alive_, and yet I couldn't even trust her. I've had my worlds crashed and burned many times, but this, what she did, was just plain _cruel_. I don't know how I keep finding the will to stand back up again, but all I know for sure was that it was for her.

It was for Lucy. She was the light that repaired each and every world burned, to something so much better than what it was before.

So what do I do now that she was the one who destroyed it?

* * *

The thing about being betrayed by your best friend is the fact that it's nearly impossible to get away from them. Lucy knew what I would do, which was to go after that son of a bitch, but she came to my house before I could even finish packing. She pounded on my door, but I ignored her. I still felt way too angry to think of anything different.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder and tossed open the door, glaring at her. She stared at me, those big eyes I always found comfort in just made that feeling inside me pulse even worse.

I shoved past her, hearing her still trying to speak out, sounding breathless.

"Natsu I know what you're going to do, but you need to stop."

I ignored her and kept on walking, hearing her behind me.

"I'm serious Natsu, there's nothing you can do alright!" She yelled. I felt her grab my arm and yank me towards her, catching my eyes in her fierce ones, "Would you just listen to me?!"

"No!" I pulled out of her grasp, glowering at her. I stepped up to her, staring down at her form and saw her step back, "You tell me, why the _hell_ I would ever listen to anything you say anymore?"

A flash of hurt crossed her face, and something didn't settle right inside me about it, but then again, nothing has since this morning.

"I'm done with listening to you Lucy, I'm done with your bullshit. You can't just lie to me about something like this and expect me to just hear you out. I thought I could trust you and you _lied_ to me." I spat at her. I shook my head, trying to keep in all that rage and looked away from her. "_We're done Lucy._ I'm going after him."

I turned away from her, a gnawing feeling in my stomach and heard a breath fall from her lips. I shut her out of my head, continuing down the walk and gripped my bag. I felt her though, pounding behind the walls inside me. She wanted in and I just couldn't let her.

"No," I heard her behind me, her voice shattering, "No!"

I felt her yank my arm again, whipping me back to her and shove my chest. "Don't say that!"

I felt her push me again, my feet stumbling back, "Don't you ever say that to me Natsu! Don't you dare!"

I saw tears threaten her again, her lips tightened as she ground her teeth behind them. She stared at me for a moment, her gaze weakening, before she shoved me again weakly. "_Don't you dare leave me._"

She broke in again. The wall crumbled and I felt that warmth she always accompanied me with spread through me like sunshine. But it wasn't enough. I still felt that devastation gnaw at me like a dog, and I couldn't shove it away.

"Not again." She breathed, a tear dropping.

I couldn't function again. There was too many things happening at once and I couldn't keep up, everything was pounding inside my head and I didn't know what to do about it. I wanted to cry and yell and kill and stay silent all that the same time and I had no idea what I was doing. I couldn't breathe again, I couldn't think.

I don't know how long I just stood there, staring at God knows what like I was frozen. I couldn't move, there were too many directions and I couldn't decide on which one to take.

Lucy stared at me, her eyes switching between mine, and finally spoke up. "Natsu you can't go after him. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't, but that you _can't_, okay?"

She pulled out the crumpled up letter I threw, opening it up to me, "He's locked away. In the National Guard prison, in some box in the dark, where he's going to stay forever. I made sure of that."

I looked up to her, seeing her step closer and take my hand, putting the scrap of paper in my fist. She closed it, breathing out softly and kept her hand on mine.

"I lied to you." She admitted, "And I'm sorry. He did fall off that cliff, but he didn't die. He was just knocked out."

I felt that pulsing sensation in my gut again, trying so hard to not glare up at her again. She only looked at me though, like a hurt little puppy she always saw me as.

"Natsu I didn't tell you because I knew what you would do to him. I knew you would kill him." She said, "And a part of me wanted you too as well, just as much of as you did. But what's the point? What's the difference between him dying on that cliff and you killing him?"

She looked to me for an answer, but she seemed like she already knew.

"Revenge? You having to take someone's life?" She questioned.

"He deserves it," I spat.

"No, he doesn't." She told me. I glared at her then, but she cut me off before I could say anything. "He doesn't deserve to just die. He doesn't deserve to just get to walk away, out of his life without punishment. That's what you would've given him Natsu, and no amount of punches could ever make up what he did to Happy. Happy deserves more than that."

My throat closed up again. I felt my eyes get blurry, and heard Lucy swallow in front of me. "Happy wouldn't want revenge Natsu. Revenge is quick. He deserves justice, which is exactly what I brought that guy too."

I looked away from her then, gritting my teeth. She made me look back to her then with her palm on my cheek, staring into my eyes. She could tell I still didn't like it.

"Natsu he's going to rot there. He's going to have to sit in that box, in the dark for his entire life. _He's going to suffer._ He's going to look back on that day and wish and wish he could've taken it back, but he can't. And now he has to live with it." She told me.

My eyes fazed over again, my cheeks feeling wet. I shook my head, that picture of Happy still ingrained in my mind like the first time I saw him.

"I miss him Lucy." I heard my voice break, "He didn't deserve to die, not him. Out of all of us…not him."

I felt her tug me onto her shoulder, dropping my bag to the ground. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me and just buried my face in her hair. That crushing weight got heavier and heavier on me, and I couldn't make it go away. _It wouldn't go away._

My chest wracked, my guts knotting and heart aching. She cried in the crook of my neck, brushing her fingers through my hair and sniffling her nose.

"I know." she whispered, "I know."

I closed my eyes and all I could see was Happy. All I could see was what made my insides tear up so horrendously, and the pictures were so vivid. I saw Erza in the Tower of Heaven, I saw Lisanna by her grave, and Igneel lying in all that rubble. I saw Lucy, without her arm in Crocus, and now I saw Happy, alone in that forest. I pressed her tighter against me as those pictures flashed by. They were eating me whole from the inside out and _I couldn't do a damn thing about it._

"I love you Lucy," I breathed out, pressing against her neck, "I love you so much."

She hugged me back, and I still felt her nails in my hair, brushing through them, soothing me like how she always did. Like how she always did. That warmth that always radiated off her, it wasn't heat. It wasn't like mine. It was light, that brightened up the darkness. It was hope in a body of fear. It was happiness, in an otherwise very _dreary_ world.

"I know," she said, her voice quivering, "I love you too."

The weight eased up on me after she said that. That comfort was about the only thing I knew that could ever do that for me, and I felt so _stupid_ when I forgot how important it was that she could do that.

"Don't ever leave me Lucy. Don't leave my side." I told her, finally willing to break away. She stared up to me then, her cheeks pink and stained with tears, and her eyes concerned. "No matter what I might say or whatever excuse I make up to go away, don't let me. Don't ever let me leave you, _promise me_."

She hesitated for a reaction, and nodded slowly, "I promise."

I felt her soft hair in my hand, the strands spilling over in my hold and waited for some type of easement inside me. None came. I believed her, but I also didn't. That churning inside me didn't subside, and no matter how close Lucy was or how much she promised me, it didn't lift all that was on me. And I was beginning to think it would never go away.

"I promise." She said again. She stared at me like she knew I didn't believe her. It helped a little, but not enough.

"We're a team right?" She asked me, smiling a bit, "It's always more fun when we're together."

Her smile was small, but seeing her slightly happy again nearly made me smile too. Though the thoughts coursing through my head made me want to do anything but.

_So what happens when something tears us apart?_

She searched my eyes for some reaction, and I tightened my hold around her, smiling. "Yeah."

She brightened up a bit, letting out a little laugh. "Yeah?"

I nodded to her, wanting to shake my head. "Yeah."

She grinned now, showing her pearly teeth and beaming hope, like how she always did. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I felt her kiss my cheek, a shiver going down my back, and hug me again.

"We'll always be together." She said.

My eyes blurred again as she pressed me tighter, something inside of me just _ripping_ apart.

**_No we won't._**

"Yeah…we'll always be together," I breathed, knives in my throat. "_We'll always be together._"

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**Haven't tried angst in a long while, but I do have to say that I miss it :)**

**Review?**


	27. Charmed (2)

**Charmed**

**Part 2**

**~Not necessary to backtrack~**

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I never really understood why I couldn't look this woman in the eye for longer than half a second. She wasn't even angry, it was just like some mysterious force made her eyes so difficult to look at; the fire and vigor inside them always had shivers running down my back. Kind of like now.

Except, I don't think it was her eyes that was doing that. Yep, I think it was more along the lines of her trying_ yet again_ to cast a spell that looked more than a little satanic if you ask me. Just putting it out there.

"Oh quit doing that," Erza rolled her violet eyes, waving an annoyed hand at me, "C'mon, quit shrinking up like that, straighten up."

I reluctantly stood up straight, raising my head from my shoulder and practically releasing my standing fetal pose. I couldn't help it, you never knew what would come out of her hands! This time it'll probably be some poisonous fog that'll make me grow horns. She wouldn't be able to deny it! Yep, this was a _homemade_ spell, one of her very own creation, her _piece_, she calls it. Whatever. The last three pieces of her 'work' have had me less than impressed.

"Just do it already," I muttered. I thought I was her apprentice, not her spell dummy?

She gave me a twisted little smirk, her bright eyes failing to hide the amusement in my situation, "It should only make you sleepy, nothing more. Relax, if all goes well then worse case is you might pass out."

"Awesome." I said.

Erza braced herself, taking in a deep breath, and took a handful of something out of her cauldron. Her hands dripped wet with something blue-ish, and I couldn't help but swallow as she forced her eyes shut, an intense crease in her brow, and squeezed her hands together. She moved her hands around strangely, breathing out, and cupped her hands towards me.

"_Dormo_," she whispered.

The liquid somehow became a powder as she blew it out of her hands, a thick cloud enveloping me and rushing straight up my nose and mouth. I felt my senses spike up in a _millisecond_. I wheezed out, stumbling back a step as all these tingles crawled through my skin, the candles surrounding me suddenly lighting up as brightly as the sun. They dimmed though, and I could really only say one thing.

I sure as hell wasn't sleepy.

_"Woah."_

* * *

"Urgh! Natsu!"

I fell against the door to my apartment, laughing horrendously because _holy shit was this spell amazing._ She wasn't even noticing! She was _completely_oblivious to the pack of _sprites_ tugging at her hair now, and there were like seven! Just yanking at her hair, messing it all up and giggling as they played with her red strands like _confetti_. How could she not notice? This was honestly unbelievable.

"God you are pathetic," she hissed out, kicking my door open. I stumbled and fell onto my wood floors, yelping out in pain as my jaw hit the floor first. I groaned as Erza stepped over me, lifting my head up slowly. I heard her close the door behind herself, and I probably would've started laughing at those sprites again if my eyes weren't too busy being connected with another pair.

A…griffin?

Bird head with lion body. Pretty sure that's a griffin. It rolled over then, a sliced tongue slipping from its lips and panted at me like a dog, switching it's golden eyes between mine. Aw. It was cute.

I reached out to touch it but Erza's hand grabbed mine before I could. A second later I was thrown to my feet, now staring blatantly into her eyes. Why was she always so rough? She always had this animalistic aura about her, her breath had this sharp spark to it and her voice was so demanding. It honestly intrigued me and–hey, aw, the sprites are gone. Where'd they go?

I searched around my room for them, but I felt Erza tug my attention back to her. "Hey! Natsu?"

"Huh," I said.

"Looks like my spell didn't go as planned," she sighed out. I nearly laughed. Duh. It went so much better.

"Why don't you try to sleep it off, alright?" she said, easing her tone at me, "I'll have to go check and see what I did wrong, and…well, what's wrong with you."

She led me back to my hammock and I fell onto it lazily, the sway of it nearly making me yelp and fall down to the ground. She sighed out at that, and watched me try to balance myself on it and keep myself steady.

"God I hope this isn't permanent," she muttered. I flipped over carefully and saw her step over all my spell books and stuff, and leave quietly.

I frowned at that. I wasn't even tired, what do I do now? I looked around my bedroom and saw another creature. Hey, this one was cute too. I got to my feet and to my knees on the floor, approaching the little guy slowly. It looked like a cat. But it was blue. And it had wings.

"Aye!" it shrieked, soaring up and into the air. I jumped at that a bit, mesmerized, and found myself laughing as hard as I possibly could.

Holy shit this was amazing.

A knock on my door dragged my eyes away from the creature. Woah, was Erza done already? She was always really productive, good for her.

A crash whipped my gaze towards a glass now shattered on my floor, and the little flying cat guy holding his head on the ground. Yikes.

"You okay buddy?" I asked him.

He shook his head a bit, clearing himself up, and I saw a giant grin slip its way onto his lips. He flew up again, "Aye sir!"

He was so awesome! I had to keep him, I just had to. That meant he needed a name. What suited him best?

I watched as he flew in circles, that face splitting grin still ever present on his little cat lips, and I swear it just hit me like Edison and his lightbulb.

_Happy._

"Natsu? Are you okay?"

Lucy's voice slipped into my mind, and I looked back to the door out in the main room. I stumbled over my feet, a grin of my own slipping onto my face and came up to the door to open it.

"Lucy! Hey!" I greeted my neighbor that I might be in love with, catching my breath a bit.

She looked bewildered for a second, before she smiled back at me. "Hey?"

I leaned against the doorframe, now wondering what she would be like with wings. Probably an angel. Maybe. She was a bit weird, and even a little clumsy, and you had to be like, super gracious or some shit to be an angel. Oh well. I bet she could pull it off if she tried.

"What's up?" I asked.

She shook her head then, casually, "Oh, nothing. I just heard a bunch of crashing and voices over here, so I wanted to be a nosy neighbor and come see what was up."

I laughed then, and she did too along with me. Wow did she not know in the least.

"No, actually, I was hoping to steal your terrace again. If that's okay…" she drifted off, and then proceeded to do that insanely cute thing of biting her lip as she waited for my answer. It almost made me want to stay quiet if she did that every time she did. She was so _weird_, I loved it.

And _such_ a nerd. Her and her astrophysics, I'll never understand it. Probably because it's astrophysics and only she's really smart enough for that.

"Sure thing," I waved her in, pausing on my feet right after myself.

I turned back and watched as she came through my door, remembering that awful incident from before, and thanked whatever witchery lord there was that my stereo didn't pop on and blare some love song. She came through with her laptop again and went straight to where she always went.

"It's so unfair you have a patio of your own, you don't even use it." she said, commenting again on this problem of hers. I constantly told her it was because she had the corner apartment, but even so, I just think she liked complaining about it.

"Good way to meet your neighbors," I said, thinking how I probably wouldn't of even met her if she didn't want to use my terrace. That would completely suck.

She looked back to me over her shoulder and laughed, tugging the window open, "Right. Of course."

I watched then as Happy flew right behind her, panic bubbling up inside me a bit at him being seen, but he made sure to keep out of her sights. Yikes, that would be super bad if she saw some weird creature flying around here, and me having to deal with keeping Erza's dumb as hell magic on the down-low was not a specialty of mine.

And it wasn't like Lucy was a witch. Nah, no way. I mean that one weird thing happened with my stereo, but the spell just wore off after she decided to leave, that wasn't her. And even if she did, that wouldn't be all that surprising right? I mean the spell was affected by her in the first place, it wouldn't be that strange for her to be able to stop it. Yep. That's totally what happened.

Happy then danced and made faces behind her back as she peeked out the window, and I couldn't help but laugh. I kept it quiet though, bringing a hand to my mouth to stifle it. He snickered himself, before seeing Lucy completely bend over the window ledge, and I can honestly say that the gleam in his eye had me nervous a bit.

And…I was right to be.

He stuck his blue furry paw out and tugged at her skirt hem, raising it up to peek under and I felt that panic come back like a punch to the gut. I rushed forward and swatted him away, his wings flying him away quickly and snickering deviously all the while.

"Oh man, look at that," Lucy said from outside. She ducked back inside and I skidded on my toes right behind her as she turned back towards me, "It's totally–oh–"

I bit my mouth shut, her face nearly bumping into my chest at the sudden proximity, and looked up to me in a quick glance. _Shit_, this looked bad.

I gave a quick grin anyways, staring at her like nothing was wrong. "Totally?"

She didn't seem to question my closeness, but stepped to the side a bit with a longing sigh, "Looks like storm clouds are heading in from downtown, I won't be able to see a thing."

I frowned at that. Man, was she gonna leave?

"Hey, do you think I could use the fire escape by your room?" she asked, "I'm sure the sky is still clear over in that direction."

I froze at that and probably fried my brain in a span of three seconds trying to think of an excuse. Uh shit? Do you know how many spell books and potions and magic stuff was in my room? Just thrown all over the place? Not even hidden away?

_A lot._

"It'll just be for a second, please? Tonight's the blood moon and I really want to get out there before this storm hits…" she drifted off, doing that _damn_ lip bite as she awaited an answer. Ugh _shit_.

"Sure, I guess–but my room is really messy and–!"

"Oh it's okay," Lucy laughed, turning on her heel towards the doorway, "I'll only be in for a second."

I rushed in front of her and gave a quick smile before spinning inside the room and kicking a number of spell books under my dresser. I saw Happy fluttering around cleaning up as well and sighed out a nervous grin as she walked in. Happy carried a pile of books in a blanket straight above her and dumped it inside my bathroom. I blew up my cheeks as she looked around, standing in front of a stack of magic drawings and pictographs to hide it.

"Woah, your room is so cool," she complimented, looking around in an awe.

"Thanks," I said, watching her carefully.

Her gaze landed on Erza's potions on my dresser that I needed to label and get back to her, and I silently thanked my shitty productivity for not doing just that. She picked up a bright yellow one then, swirling the liquid inside, "Cool perfume things, these look super old. I bet they were expensive."

"Uh–" my eyes widened as she brought a finger up to take the top off and rushed forward, stumbling against the dresser to take it from her. Okay yeah, if I remembered correctly, this was a _flask of angry bee's_, and the last thing either of us needed was her being attacked by_ magic bee's._

"Super fragile and smells kind of bad, I meant to throw that away," I laughed a bit, putting it back down in a crowd of others.

"Oh," she said, looking up to me with a surprised look, "Okay."

She looked around again and I followed her gaze, my eyes shooting wide open again at the freaking _dragon_ swinging around my ceiling fan. I grabbed her shoulder then, tugging her towards me quickly, "Uh so the window! HERE, it's here!"

I pointed away from the spinning creature, creasing a look as it purred with every circle around the room. I saw it's ears flop all over the place and it curled its tail in a fan wing. Happy fluttered right next to him then, looking at it curiously, and I honestly couldn't help my dropped jaw.

"Oh wow, I didn't know you read so much!" Lucy suddenly said, making me jump back towards her.

_Oh shit. The voodoo volumes._

I can't have her thinking I'm into voodoo! That'd be so creepy, she'd think I was insane or something! God! Erza just wanted to know how to tie me up without actually getting near me and had me actually _work_ on a way for her to do that. I swear, this woman.

Lucy came up to read these giant books and I swerved right in front of her, pressing my back to hide them, "Uh, I don't really, they're just something I found."

She tried dipping her view behind me to take another glance, and I felt nothing better than seeing her find my weirdness more amusing than suspicious. She laughed basically into my chest and backed up a step, raising an eyebrow, "I take it you don't have much thought about personal space, huh?"

I gave a meek shrug, "Guess not."

She still looked at me curiously, before trying again to peek over my shoulder to the books. I stepped in her way though, keeping my lips shut.

"You just don't want anyone to know you read weird books right? I promise I can keep a secret," she joked, peering lightly beside me again.

I moved a touch to block her view, "Sorry, don't know what you're talking about."

She crossed her arms at that, her gaze narrowed towards me as I watched silently as the dragon slipped and fell onto my hammock. It thunked to the floor and dragged itself out towards the living room, my gaze whipping back towards Lucy.

"Hey, you wanna do something else? Like anything else?" I asked quickly. I grabbed her hand and tugged her away from the books, switching my eyes around for any excuse I could come up with, "Like uh, uh, check out my..hammock! Pretty cool huh?"

She gaze me a wary glance then, drifting her hazel eyes back into mine, "Hammock?"

I nodded, pointing towards it, "Mmhm!"

She looked around again, and I moved my gaze back towards her, only for a foot to be stuck in my mouth.

_Oh come on._

Sprites? I thought they left, no no _no!_

I watched as they lifted up strands of her blonde hair, giggling quietly and prancing around her head like they were having the time of their lives.

"What hammock?"she questioned.

I creased her a look at that, "Huh?"

I looked back towards the green sheet that was my hammock, and all the sudden I felt a swift punch to the gut at my realization.

_When did I get a hammock?_

I hesitated on my next words then, even the bullshit was hard to come up with this one now because_ holy shit what the hell was happening?_

"Uh, bed? I meant bed, yeah, I just call it a hammock sometimes. Wishful thinking, ya know?" I laughed a bit, awkwardly.

She nodded slowly, "Right. So…you want me to check out your bed?"

I paused at that, now kind of realizing how utterly _wrong_ that sounded.

"I…uh…" I drifted off, "If you want…?"

She gave a short nod, and I took that second she looked away to swat at the sprites around her head. They scattered around her and fluttered away, before she looked back towards me way too close to her _again_.

She gazed up from my chest to my face as I lowered my arms down, and I made the mistake of meeting her eyes with mine. Yikes was that awkward. She let out a weak laugh then, and I noticed the pink that crossed her cheeks before she looked away. Did she just–Did I just make her–?

"You're so weird," she muttered, giving me half a smile and heading back towards the window.

I sighed out as she opened it up and stepped out onto the fire escape, finally managing to catch a break with all of this. I finished hiding whatever was left in my room and checked around for griffins or dragons, before going out to join her. She always got super dorky when it came to space, so hearing her go off into trying to explain it was both confusing and hilarious.

Soon enough she always wears herself out doing that, and sometimes she even ends up passing out right here outside. I guess today is one of those days. Her cheek was resting on my shoulder, her lap scattered with astronomy books and laptop dead of battery.

Lucy sleeping was always something else. She practically dies every time she falls asleep, you can move her and shove her and push her down a stairwell but she won't wake up. It's actually pretty hilarious, she only wakes up when she wants too, so I just keep a blanket out over the ledge to give her.

She also mumbles in her sleep. I can never really understand what she's saying, it's like it's in a different language or something, not sure, but something about it sounds familiar. Huh. What a weirdo.

And what a night.

* * *

"What do you mean they were just hallucinations?!"

I gawked at Erza like three horns were jutting out of her head, and she merely rolled her eyes. "I mean, I had the dream aspect down of my sleeping spell, just not the actual sleep part. What, did you actually think there were griffins flying around your house? With flying blue cats that could talk?"

"YES!" I yelled, "YES I DID!"

"Jeez Natsu, come on. Have some common sense, everyone knows those things don't exist. They're just make believe." Erza laughed, waving a hand at me as she left to her lair.

I stood there, speechless, as the literal _witch_ made her way down into her _magic dungeon_. Happy appeared right beside me then, a humorous flutter in his wings.

"Aye! She's right!"

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**Drabble series? Maybe? Not sure, but just for fun. No real plot.**

**Review?**


	28. Medieval Times

**Medieval Times**

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People say it's impossible to love your job. That at some point or another, you're going to get tired of it or it'll end up biting you in the ass, but I don't think that's the case with me.

My job is literally the coolest thing ever because you know what? I get to fight, ride horses, play ancient games, and wear freaking armor for a living. Yep, you heard me right. I get _paid_ to do all that stuff. And I don't even have to speak a word, I don't even have to _win_, (though of course I always do, since I'm obviously the best and everyone else can suck it) (especially Gray) and that wasn't even the best part.

The _food_ they served there. Holy _shit_ was it like heaven in there. I almost cry every time I see it.

So yeah, that's right. I work at Medieval Times, and I'm actually a goddamn knight. My color was the red out of the other five, and most of all the other Knights I knew personally before I even got hired. Did I mention I work with all my friends too?

Yeah. Jealous?

Tonight was another night, the stands were packed and Mirajane and Gramps were telling their infamous story about the kingdom and all that. Mean while the rest of us were getting our horses prepped and resting up for the big show.

"Natsu! Wanna join in?"

I looked over to Cana and Loke sitting at a table, a pile of money and weird valuables sitting in between. I grinned. Of course I would join in on the pot, why wouldn't I? We always gambled right before the show on who would win the competition section of the games, which was the only part of it that wasn't staged. So yeah, if you actually manage to win that part, you win a pile of money as well once behind doors.

"Hell yeah, 'course I would want money for kicking all your asses," I sneered, slapping a fifty down on the table.

Cana smirked at that and took the bill, adding it into her little treasure pile. She was only the manager behind scenes, but she sure as hell was good at this thing. It was like she always knew who would win, it was weird. Sometimes I think she's a psychic, she's creepy like that.

"Alright, I'm feelin' that fire!" she laughed, pulling out her own wallet, "I'm counting on you tonight, so you better win!"

Loke scoffed as I grinned at her, standing up and grabbing his metal helmet. He was the red and orange knight, and ultimately, the knight everyone always wanted. He was the classic pretty boy that all the girls came here to see, something about him in armor with a sword always made them swoon. I never understood it.

"Whatever, I'm so going to win this tonight," he declared, proudly, "Too many beauties out there to disappoint, can't take any chances."

I rolled my eyes as he dragged his fingers through his hair, fixing it up in the reflection of his helmet. He winked at himself and I grimaced at that, feeling a harsh slap on the back of my metal armor.

"You boys are so pathetic," a bored, yet familiar tone suddenly said, catching all our glances, "I think if anyone is gonna kick your asses, it's me. Or Erza."

Gray held that stupid little zen aura he always did, but with a pinch of smugness also drifting around. He gave me a challenging glare and I narrowed my eyes back at him. He was the blue knight, and wow was he so gonna lose tonight.

"Yeah well, we'll see about that," I told him, "Cana's on my side tonight, so it's practically already decided that I'm going to win!"

Gray merely scoffed, crossing his arms, "She can't see the future _dumbass_, look at her, she's_wasted_."

"Gray!" Cana hissed, a sudden clack of a bottle sounding through the room as she scurried to hide her liquor, "Shut the hell up!"

I twisted my lips at her, pouting a bit. Ah oh well, it didn't matter if she was drunk, she was still always spot on. And I felt it tonight, I felt good. I was _so_ gonna win this.

A loud ding echoed throughout the back stage, signaling that Mira and Gramps were near ending their speeches. That was to tell us to get on our horses and prepare to start, so all of the Knights rushed back towards the stables to mount our horses and make our way out to the arena.

A little while later, we were all introduced to our sections of the seating, and we began the games off with catching floating rings with our lances. I forget what it's actually called, all these medieval terms were the only thing here I didn't feel were interesting enough. Too hard to remember.

Soon enough, the crowd got quiet and all the Knights lined up in two rows. I looked over and saw myself paired with Loke, giving him a devious grin as our turns came. We both launched off on our horses, holding our lances, and I closed my left eye to aim the point straight in the tiny circle. I always zoomed by so fast on my horse, I had to check until I stopped at the end to see if I even got it.

And aha! I did! I held it up to my portion of the crowd and they went wild, cheering and shouting loudly towards me. I looked over and saw Loke doing the same, holding up his won piece of it as well. I resisted a growl. Man, he got it too.

I walked my horse around the bend to enter the line again, and looked up to Mirajane and Gramps up in the tower. They played the princess and King. Every time a knight won a certain section of a game, Mira passed down flowers to give out to the crowd. They were fake of course, but it was still a nice gesture just to get more friendly with your section of the audience. And it always made the little kids happy, so I liked giving them out as well.

I got two flowers dropped to me, walking my horse over to the stands where everyone cheered for me. God I love this job. Usually people are never this happy to see me, it was cool.

I saw a little girl wearing a red crown, big dimples in her cheeks as she caught my eyes and I grinned at her, tossing her the flower. She caught it easily, her eyes lighting up like a beacon.

I saw someone else waving, a guy pointing at a girl with her face in her hands. Boyfriend and girlfriend it seemed, that was cool. Maybe it was her birthday or something. I tossed her the flower, her suddenly leaning forward to catch it in her palms. She gave me a surprised look then, before smiling back to the guy next to her.

I began to head back around for the next competition, still waving to the rest of the crowd, and I let my gaze travel across the dozens of people cheering for me. I doubled back though, a certain face in the midst catching my eye.

She didn't seem as nearly wildly excited to be here as anyone else, but she still looked happily intrigued. She sat with her chin in both her palms, watching me quietly, before she accidentally let our eyes meet.

She was…cute. Which, was weird.

She only looked slightly alarmed at that, but I gave her a grin anyways, waving to her. She even looked embarrassed you could say. A little girl next to her tugged on her arm then, pointing at me and whispering something to her.

She only said something and looked back to me, a sheepish smile on her lips. She hid it with her hand again, and it was painfully obvious how she couldn't decide if she wanted to look back to me or not.

I laughed at that, she was kind of weird. I couldn't tell if she was a blonde or brunette in the dark lighting, but I knew for sure her eyes were bright. That girl next to her had blue hair though, so I don't think they were related in any way. Hm, maybe she's babysitting.

"Natsu hurry the hell up! I'm gonna beat yer ass one way or another, you can't be stalling!"

I looked over to Gajeel passing by me, a crooked smirk on his lips, and scoffed at that loudly. Like hell I would stall, everyone already _knows_ I'm gonna win this.

"I'd like to see you try!" I yelled back, kicking off down the arena.

I made it around the bend, taking a quick glance back to my section of the audience. I didn't know why I was looking for her, I just felt like I wanted too. I found her, leaning over to the little girl next to her and pointing to the races that were happening then.

"Geez Natsu, I haven't seen you so focused on something since lunch," Loke's voice rang out, trotting up beside me. "Tell me, what's captured your eye?"

I immediately looked away from the crowd, giving him an annoyed look. He suddenly laughed then, and I…think I was too late.

A long whistle came from his lips then, a sudden light in his eyes as he gazed over to where I was looking, "Which one is she? The blonde one there?"

I creased a look at that, tilting my head, "You think she's blonde?"

I still honestly couldn't tell, how could he?

"Oh yeah, definitely. Trust me, I've got a knack for these things," he said, patting my back.

Huh. Blonde.

"You like her huh? Can't blame you, way too many beauties out this evening. I can hardly keep up," he chuckled a bit, sighing out towards the crowd of girls waving to him and laughing. I raised an eyebrow at that, "Is she hot?"

I hesitated on answering that. A little twist in my stomach came as a reply, but I shook it off, giving him a shrug of my shoulders, "She's…pretty. I guess. But it's not like I know her."

He gave me a look, "I'd be surprised if you did. So, you think you caught her eye?"

I thought on that for a moment, not really coming to a good answer, "I mean I catch everyone's eye. People love watching me."

Loke rolled his eyes at me then, stepping forward in our line of horses, "No, idiot, I mean do you think she has an eye out for you? Does she like you?"

I felt that little twist in my stomach come back again, blowing up my cheeks, "How the hell should I know? All I did was look at her."

Loke let out a boisterous laugh, shaking my shoulder with his gauntlet. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, giving me a look like he would a child, "Oh Natsu, you really are so blind."

I raised an eyebrow at that, watching as he motioned my view down to my chest, "Look at us Natsu, we're _knights_. We have armor and gauntlets and horses, not to mention our outstandingly good looks."

He glanced at me up and down then, shrugging, "Well at least I do. The point is that girls _love_ this shit. Almost as much as we do. Something about men in armor really has them going, and as much as I don't understand, I know better than to wonder why. You are at the top of your game like this Natsu, don't screw it up."

I reveled in his words for a second, deciding that if I were to listen to anyone on advice about girls, it should probably be Loke. Though I don't think we go the same paths when it actually comes to them.

"Well, I don't know about…getting them going, or whatever the hell you just said, but I guess I can see your point." I said, "I think you and me have different ideas about girls though. Yours aren't exactly all that moral, I hear."

He was the biggest player I knew. That anyone knew, really.

"Hey hey, don't go thinking you're better than me just because you don't meet with as many girls as I do," he defended, "I respect them just as much as the next guy, hell probably even more. I just like seeing them naked as well. And trust me, the feelings are mutual when I do."

I grimaced at that, holding up a hand, "Alright alright, I just meant I'm not as used to it as you."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed, "Which is why you're letting this all go to waste! Impressing girls here is the _easiest_ thing, all you have to do is show off. Trust me, to get this girl, just listen to me very carefully."

He leaned in closely to me and I did too, giving him my ear.

"Say nothing."

I pulled back, giving him a look.

"Really! Don't say anything, it's the mystery of it all that really gets them. You can smile and wave all you want, but it's when you speak you lose that aloofness. What you have to do is, be the most cliche prince in any fairy tale you've ever read, and you're good to go." he nodded, "Ever notice how the princes have like three lines at most? This is why. And if you're gonna say anything, keep it short. And probably something medieval, I don't know."

I gave a hesitant nod at all of this, not really understanding a word, but I think I got this gist of it all. I just had to impress her. That wouldn't be so hard.

Loke's turn came up before me and he and Jellal darted off for a racing competition. Gajeel came up next to me then, that stupid smile still stuck on his face, and I narrowed my eyes at him. I so had to win this.

We squared up next to each other, both our horses stomping in place, and I saw the flag whip down between us. Both our horses shot off in the dirt, but I caught the lead straight from the beginning.

I laughed at him as I passed through the line first, cheering loudly in his face. He only growled at me, before turning it all into a soft brood as he turned back to his green part of the audience.

Two more flowers dropped from Mirajane and I went back over to my side, tossing one to a little boy up in the front row. I searched the stands again, looking for the same face that caught my eye the last time.

I found her, still watching me intently, and held up the flower for her to look at. She straightened her back at that, a pleasant look of surprise crossing her features as I tossed her the flower. She nearly let it drop through her fingers, but she managed to catch it and look at it.

A dim smile slowly slipped onto her lips, looking back up to me with big eyes. She smiled even wider, but I saw her trying to stifle it. I couldn't help but almost laugh at it. I gave her a salute and she leaned back in her chair, a few pairs of eyes turning towards her in curiosity. I think she was actually blushing, holy shit. I've never done that before. Loke was _right_.

All I had to do was impress her! This maybe for once wouldn't turn out miserably! Oh and I _so_ had this in bag, 'cause you know why?

It was _my_ turn to save the kingdom tonight. Hell. Yeah.

* * *

We finished up the games, me winning of course, (HA) and now we were moving on towards the battles. Every knight had to fight someone from a different color, and since I was the one winning tonight, I had to fight at least four guys, including the 'bad guys' that try to take over the kingdom or something like that.

It was all staged of course, but even then, I had to swing around these giant swords and axes for at least a half a hour. It actually wore me out pretty good, and it just sucked that I couldn't actually hit any of these losers.

I didn't really care though. I was just glad I got to show off in front of everyone. Especially that girl. I wonder what her name is, now that I think about it.

I was squaring off against Loke now, ducking his swords and rolling around in the dirt, pretending to be hit. I kicked his feet out from under him and raised my axe up, a sudden spotlight on the both of us, and hit him in the chest.

He faked his death then, going limp, before opening an eye up to me, "Did she see that?"

My chest heaved, looking back up to the audience, though it was even darker than before. I looked around her section, finding the same figure she had looking at me.

"I think so," I whispered, out of breath.

A devious smile grew on his face then, and I couldn't help my own. Who would've believed the day me and Loke actually joined forces together.

A while later I had to go off on these group of guys, a bunch of extras I didn't know their names too, and the leader Sting. He was a pretty arrogant guy, but once you get to know him he's actually pretty cool. People say me and him could be brothers and stuff but I honestly don't see it.

I was tumbling around in dirt and swiping my sword around now, about to give the finale, and once again, the spotlight beamed down on both of us. I gave a quick swipe of my sword near his stomach, his body suddenly falling and collapsing onto the dirt.

All the lights turned on then, the victory song booming through the arena, and I laughed as everyone cheered me on. I howled along with them, tossing my swords into the dirt and raising my arms.

At the end of every show the knight and princess would get to take a picture with someone who was having a birthday, if they won that night, so I had to run over to Cana to see who that was.

She patted me on the back, giving me a second to breathe, "Nice job man, I got the pot all ready for you in the back. You're birthday girl today is that little one with the blue hair, see her?"

I looked back over to the little girl who sat next to the blonde, a smile creeping up on my face, "Yeah, got it."

I started to head over towards them, but I stopped on my feet, whipping back towards Mira about to come through the doors. I pushed her back inside, hearing her surprised squeak, "Natsu! What are you doing?"

"Gimme a flower! Real quick!" I whispered, pointing towards the basket behind her.

She turned around, confused, and handed me an extra flower. "Why?"

"No reason!" I yelled, running back out into the area.

We both made our way up into the red section, and I felt my stomach knotting up like hell. I didn't get why, it was kind of annoying honestly, but I guess I was just excited.

"Hello m'lady! Are you Ms. Wendy Marvel?" Mira sang, giving her a bright smile.

I stood behind her as those two conversed, peeking over her shoulder to the blonde girl next to them. She was watching the two quietly, a soft smile on her lips as Wendy's face lit up like a lightbulb at the sight of Mirajane.

"Would you like a picture?" Mira finally asked.

Wendy nodded eagerly and we all stepped in for one, me kneeling next to her and her suddenly giving me a hug. I laughed at that, a flash of the camera beaming at us, and we all stood up again.

Mira said our goodbyes and she began making her way back down towards the arena for her final farewell speech. I had to follow in her footsteps, taking a step down the stairs, before remembering the flower in my pocket. I looked back to the blonde standing next to Wendy, showing her the photo taken of us all, and came back up quickly.

"Luigi look! Isn't it great?" Wendy said, before spotting me behind the blonde, "Oh, hi!"

I gave a smile to her, nodding a bit, and saw the girl turn around towards me, her eyes widening up a bit.

_Act like a prince, act like a prince. Don't say anything. This was so dumb._

I knelt on one knee before her, taking out the flower from my pocket and holding it up. She brought a hand to her smile, looking absolutely embarrassed as everyone 'awed' around us, and I really couldn't keep up the straight, perfect smile that Loke always did. It fell crooked and lopsided, those canines everyone always teased me about having probably showing now, but I didn't really care much.

"M'lady?" I said, my voice dropping under my breath more than I wanted. I nodded towards the flower for her to take, and she merely just shifted her weight, muffling her smile.

She reached a hand out and hesitated on taking it, her cheeks darkening with every second she waited. She finally took it, looking back up to me with a certain look.

"Thank you," she said, twirling the stem between her fingers.

I stood up then, a grin I could contain just plastered on my lips, and I saw hers widen at the simple sight of it. I gave her another salute, hurrying back down the steps towards the arena.

Oh yeah, I was totally right. Today was awesome.

* * *

And apparently, it was going to get better. Usually after the show everyone rests up for a while; hangs back and makes more deals for the next day, but sometimes I like going back out into the lobby.

What can I say? People love me out there, it's like I'm a celebrity in a photo shoot. I stood near the bar area, next to the giant fireplace they had once you walked in. I always liked that fireplace. I dunno why. I was up and talking to this mom and her kid, and I can honestly not voice how annoying it was to be asked ten times a night where the 'red and orange knight was'. In other words, 'where's Loke so I can give him my number, I'd rather have him out here.'

Nice right?

I shook it off though, whatever. I was still better. I felt a quick tap on my shoulder then, waving goodbye to the kid and her mom.

I turned real quick to greet whoever was next, freezing a bit on my toes at who it was.

"Hey," the blonde I practically dedicated this entire night to said.

"Hi," I replied, a little more quickly than I intended. I grinned at her then, "Hey!"

I remembered Loke's advice at that moment, faltering for a second, but you know what? I didn't really feel like acting like he said, it was kind of exhausting. And plus she would think that's how I really acted all the time, which we all know is a complete lie (like it's kind of funny how wrong it was). So, either way, I hope she wasn't expecting much.

"You're Lu…igi? Right?" I asked, trying to remember what Wendy said.

She seemed to be completely thrown off by that because she gave me the craziest look then, a raise in her eyebrow. "_No_. It's Lucy."

"Lucy! That's what I heard!" I clapped, nodding. She managed a tense smile after that, it slowly but surely relaxing a bit.

"I liked your show tonight, and uh, thanks," she held up her flower then, twirling it around, "For the flower. I gave the other one to Wendy, since apparently, I got _two_ tonight."

I paused to think a moment. I gave her two? Oh shit…yeah I guess I did. Whoops.

"You're welcome," I shrugged, offering a grin. Might as well own it.

She suddenly lit up a bit, a crinkle in the corner of her eye, "I actually really liked the horses there too, I mean, I know I came for Wendy and everything, but I was hoping to see them as well. And that one that you rode, why was he so…?"

"Blue?" I finished, and she nodded slowly. I laughed at that memory, scratching the back of my head, "Gah, that's a long story. One of my friends pulled a prank of me and decided to dye him blue, and it hasn't washed out in about…three months? I think it was permanent dye."

I watched her look at me, a sight of confusion and slight worry crossing her features, before letting out a weak breath as a laugh. "Alrighty then…well, it was very cute."

See, people always said my horse just looked weird, no one ever called him cute. I thought he was cute! He was my best friend! People just didn't understand. Stupid Gray and Loke, pulling that prank. Those two together was just a terrible idea.

"Happy," I said.

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"His name, it's Happy." I grinned.

She thought a moment on that, before just shrugging and smiling along with me, "Happy…nice."

She nodded to me, impressed, and I couldn't really tell if she was being serious or not. I decided she was, hopefully, (because I will go to my grave before I admit that Happy is a bad name) and gave her a little look.

"Want to meet him?" I offered, catching her eye.

She hesitated on answering that, looking more than a little surprised, but pleasant by it nonetheless. She leaned forward to whisper to me as if I might get in trouble, "Really?"

I grinned and nodded slowly, "Yeah, why not? You can meet everyone too. Where's Wendy?"

She still seemed a little flabbergasted by my offer, but I could tell this wasn't something she wanted to pass up. Her smile grew, gradually, and I felt a little twist in my gut at the look she gave me.

"Wendy!" she yelled, waving the little girl towards us blindly.

She came forward and joined Lucy's side, holding onto her hand with a dimple in her cheek. I laughed, waving the two towards the backstage, and threw an arm around Lucy's shoulders, catching her glance, and a turn of her lips.

"Prepare to meet the knights of Fiore!"

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**I completely forgot to update this guys, sorry x') **

**Hope you liked it! Review?**


	29. The Package

**The Package**

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You know what's more unsatisfying than finding books? Finding books when you were expecting a mini helicopter.

I scoffed at the package, digging through the stacks of books in the box and found nothing. What the hell? Where was my helicopter?

And what the hell was with these covers? I stared at the few books I'd taken out, seeing a pair of lips pressed to a collarbone on one, and red nails pressed to some guys chest on another. What kind of books were these?

I flipped through one, stopping in the middle of a chapter and I practically felt my eyes bug out.

_She gasped as his lips pressed against her thigh. She felt electricity pulsing through her just at the touch, sending her fingers quaking as she gripped his hair, begging for-_

I slapped the book shut. What th l. What the hell.

I felt my face burning. What was this, some sort of porn? In a book? Was that a thing? I shuffled through the rest of the books, hesitantly flipping them open.

_I felt her nail slowly trace its way down my chest, stopping right at the button to my pants. She smirked then as I held in a breath; she could see me. She could see how badly I needed her then, and she knew she drove me insane-  
_  
I closed the book. Okay yep, these were all porn books. Every one of them. And there were like twelve in here.

How could someone not tell the difference between a toy helicopter and adult books? What if I was a little kid? I would've lost all my innocence.

Shit, I still am a kid. I want my innocence back.

I packed all the books back in the box, and closed it, catching the label in the corner of my eye. They widened then as I read the address, whipping my face towards the window.

_No way._ Lucy?

This was meant for the house next door, but I refused to believe it. I met the girl who lived next door, she was super sweet and innocent. I even think she held a funeral for some squirrel she ran over in her driveway, there's no way she would be into into_this_ kind of stuff.

Would she? I didn't know her all that well, I only met her a few times while in my driveway. Damn she was weird. I mean she was nice, but wow was I not ready to get this personal with her.

I fell in my seat then, my chest sinking. So…did this mean I had to give her back the box? Wait, did this mean she got my helicopter?

Ugh SHIT. Now I couldn't just ditch it on her porch. I shook my head, grabbing her package and took my sweet time heading over there. I really didn't want to do this.

I knocked on her door, blowing my cheeks up and swaying on my feet. She opened up her door, popping her blonde head out with a smile.

"Hey Lucy," I greeted.

She stepped out, holding her door open, "Natsu hey! What's up?"

"Oh well," I tried to choose my words, staring at the box under my arm, "I uh, think the mailman switched our packages."

She looked confused as I held out her box, "Oh?"

Lucy took it and peeked in the open folds, her eyes bugging out like mine did. _"Oh."_

I gave a nervous grin, "Yeah."

She let out a ringing laugh, yet I could hear the panic in her voice. "This is um…you opened it?"

I scratched my head, "Yeah I thought it was mine, I was expecting a, uh, helicopter."

She hummed, distracted by the books in her hand. She looked up to me then, her cheeks pink in embarrassment, "These are uh, for my friend."

I grinned, nodding slowly. "Okay."

"Really," she insisted, stepping closer, "It's my friends birthday and she loves these kinds of books so…"

I saw the look she gave me and waved a hand at her, "It's alright, really. Do you have my package though?"

"Oh yeah," she blurted, almost dropping her box and shuffled back inside. She came back out with it, handing it over with a nervous smile still.

I tucked it underneath my arm, sighing and started to walk back down the stairs.

"Uh, thanks for this." she said.

"No problem," I replied, turning back to her with a grin, "You enjoy those books."

She looked down to the box in her hand, "Thanks–wait no!"

I laughed as she panted out, staring at me desperately. "They're not for me!"

I shook my head, crossing over to my own yard, "I'll see you later Lucy."

I saw her stomp her foot on her porch, groaning loudly and slamming herself in her house. She was _so_ weird, and I found nothing more funny than her getting like that.

I sighed, slamming down the box on my table. Now, _for that helicopter._

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**Review? :)**


	30. Seeing Clearly

**Seeing Clearly**

**Part 1**

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"Shit! Lucy! Did you see where it went?" Natsu called out.

I shoved my way past branch after branch, and dodged the endless supply of trees that surrounded the both of us. I ran a pace behind him as he shot off on his feet, I didn't fail to notice the flustered fury that seemed to shine in his eyes as he lost sight of the monster we were tracking.

"No," I replied, and his feet immediately slowed at those words. I slowed down to a walk as well, heaving my breath in and out, "It just disappeared."

He huffed out, annoyed, and I watched as he looked around warily, "I shot the hell out of it, it couldn't of gone far."

I smiled absently at that and saw Happy flutter down to sit on his shoulder, "I wouldn't say _the hell out of it_, but you got it's wing pretty good. It still might be able to fly, though."

Natsu turned his cheek to give an offended glare to his friend, "What are you talking about? I hit it dead on, it shouldn't even be able to walk!

"Meh," I shrunk my nose at that. I made a shrill noise of doubt escape my mouth to catch his glance, "You were a little off."

He glared at me then and I couldn't help but smile sympathetically. "Maybe you're just off your game today."

Happy snickered at that, and Natsu just crossed his arms with a huff. "Am not. I totally hit him!"

"Well can you track it's scent still?" I asked.

Natsu raised his nose up to sniff the air and went in a few circles around me, before he paused next to my shoulder. "I think so." He squinted his eyes towards the distance then, oddly, and blinked to compose himself.

"It's close," He muttered, "The swamp gas mixes up the scents, I can't tell exactly."

Well jeez, that wasn't scary. I looked around and felt Happy behind my shoulder now, grasping my key handle in an anxious hold. It was quiet around us for a moment, before a muffled cry sounded all around us. My caution peaked at that, and I took a quick glance to Natsu behind me. Wait, what…_was he doing?_

He stepped forward warily into the thick mass of foliage, and his eyes were squinted again, before he blinked and stared heavily at something in front of him. I switched my eyes to where his eyes were and I felt my throat choke up at the sight of the _beast_ glaring right at him.

It was hidden in the bushes, it's scaly coat now transformed into a dark green color as a part of it's natural camouflage for survival. It was still _painfully obvious _that it was hiding though, yet Natsu didn't seem to _catch_ that hint.

"Nat–_what are you doing?_" I whispered at him. My voice rose an octave or two as the beast started to move, and I took off on my feet towards him.

The beast leaped from the bushes and Natsu's eyes grew wide at the sudden movement. He didn't have time to even spark a fire before he was knocked back like a ragdoll. His back snapped against a tree, and his voice spilled a stifled grunt.

"Natsu!" Happy whined and flew off towards him.

I took out my key and changed into my Sagittarius stardress as the beast charged at Natsu again. I aimed an arrow straight at the crack in it's scales and shot it. I grimaced as the arrow pierced it's skin and the monster stumbled on it's feet, tumbling down into the watery dirt a foot from Natsu. It didn't move.

I sighed out of relief. Natsu stared at the beast now, puzzled, and sat up with Happy's help. I came over and dropped my bow beside him, and fell to his side next to Happy, "Are you okay?"

He nodded casually, rubbing a bump on his head, "I'm fine. Nice shot."

I gave him a look then, furrowing my eyebrows, "Why didn't you attack it? You were looking right it, you just let it pounce on you."

I didn't mean to sound so harsh when I asked that, but it slipped out anyways. I couldn't help it, that hit seriously worried me. He rarely gets caught that bad, especially from a two-bit monster from some old town in the middle of nowhere.

"Didn't see it," he murmured.

"_Didn't see it?_" I nearly laughed, "Natsu it was right in front of you! It could've bit your head off if I didn't _yell _at you."

He gave me a 'whatcha gonna do?' look, he seemed exasperated. "It was camouflaged! It blended in! I couldn't tell! It looked like a bush."

"A bush that was five feet taller than the other bushes," I said, bitterly. "You could have really gotten hurt."

He sighed and stood up, and left me and Happy to gaze up to him. He offered a crooked grin then, "C'mon, you know better than to think I get hurt that easily."

"Yeah Lucy, Natsu's way tougher than you!" Happy joked. He stuck his tongue out at me and fluttered up to Natsu's shoulder again.

I glared at the cat, "Oh shut up, you were the one crying once you saw him get hit!"

Happy pouted his little cat lips, "I wasn't crying!"

"You were about to," I muttered, and brushed the dirt off my knees as I stood up to join them.

I sighed and looked back to the down beast beside us, and propped a hand up on my hip. "Well, let's get this thing back to town. Once we get back to the guild we're doing an exam Natsu, something's up with you."

He groaned loudly and trudged his feet past me, "No exams!"

I helped him lift up the tail to the monster and rest it on his shoulder, and clicked my tongue at him, "When was the last time you've been to a doctor? You need checkup's Natsu. They're easy, I promise. Mira can even do them."

"I don't need a _checkup_," he spat out, as if it were the worst idea he had heard all day, "I just got a bit dizzy from the swamp gas, I'm fine."

I tied my whip around the horn of the beast and we started to drag it back through the woods. I laughed at that remark, and replied with one of my own. "We'll see about that."

* * *

"Lucy stop!"

I continued to push his back through the doors of the guild, and hissed out at the massive amount of strength a person needed to just get him to _budge_.

"You're insane! Just let me go home!"

"No!" I yelled. I shoved him again to make him go into the main guild hall, and he begrudgingly stomped his feet down. "Natsu," I moaned, annoyed. He turned around with the same look of my eye in his, though his gaze eased up after he saw mine.

"You're over-reacting Lucy," he told me, with all seriousness. He spun around before I could even reply to that with a sarcastic remark, and finished the rest of the way into the guild. He kicked the doors open and everyone shouted out a greeting. I followed in his footsteps slowly.

"I am not over-reacting, I'm just _concerned_. Is that really such a terrible thing?" I huffed at him, and crossed my arms.

He turned back towards me then, a playful frown extended on his lips, "_Yes_. I thought you had more faith in me Lucy. You said it yourself, it was just an off day."

He slumped down at the bar then and I came to stand beside him. I didn't notice then but a little crowd began to form around us at the unusual bickering.

"Yeah well, you've been acting weird for a while now. Something's up with you," I narrowed my eyes at his, "You're hiding something."

His lips twisted at those last words, the narrowing of his own eyes at me caused some tension to rise between us, and neither of us dared to break it.

"What's going on?" Mirajane interjected. She had a mass of beer mugs on a platter, ones she seemed to only take up around our little fiasco. I huffed and spun away from him, and slumped down into a seat in the middle of the crowd.

"Natsu nearly got himself killed by a giant bat on a mission today," I told her, loud enough for everyone else to hear too.

He immediately glared at all those who burst out laughing at him, "I was not almost killed! It got one shot, one _lucky_ shot! That's it!"

"Damn Natsu, you losing your touch or somethin'?" Gray chuckled from beside me, his feet kicked up onto the table and a beer in his hand.

"I think so," I said. His glare fell to Kinana picking up mugs though, right beside me. I noted that, but didn't have much time to think on it.

"He looked right at the thing and it still hit him!" Happy explained, "Right in front of his eyes!"

Natsu groaned loudly as everyone made some crude comment at that and stood up arrogantly. I did as well and circled around next to Lisanna and Gajeel.

"Maybe he's gettin' old like us," Wakaba joked, he and Macao held up a beer for him, "I haven't been able to see clear since X782. Maybe he's finally losing his sight like the rest of us old folk."

Everyone laughed at that, but something inside me perked up. That…actually made a lot of sense._He couldn't see._ Something was wrong with his eyesight then? That explains why he couldn't see the _gigantic creature_ five feet in front of him, and why he's been feeling dizzy. It all made sense! That was his secret!

"Natsu, you're really losing your eyesight?" I blurted out from behind him.

He lolled his head in an intense moan, and spun around with an irritated flicker in his eye. He grabbed Lisanna by the shoulders then, and stuck his face in hers, "_Lucy!_ I am not losing my sight, will you just quit with the–hey, did you cut your hair?"

I gaped at him as his eyes switched from annoyance straight to genuine curiosity. He couldn't even tell that wasn't me? How bad was this?

Lisanna stood awkwardly by, scrunched up in his hold and Natsu played with a strand, squinting his eyes at it, "You know I didn't take you one for short hair, but it kind of fits you. Kinda looks better than before, actually."

My face blew up red in fury. I shoved him aside with a surprised yelp coming from him, a hiss in my tone, "_Natsu!_ You couldn't even tell that wasn't me! Better yet that it was Lisanna instead?_You've known her since you were kids_, you've got to be kidding me!"

He shrunk away from me, warily, and switched his gaze between the both of us. His mouth dropped open in an 'o' then, and a long sound of realization escaped his lips at the sight. I ground my teeth at the idiot and pushed him down into a bar stool.

"You're farsighted!" I declared.

"Am not! I can still see you and you're right in front of me!" He defended.

I scoffed at that very _incorrect_ remark. I scrunched up my lips in an angered pout and held up my middle finger at him. I ignored the short burst of laughs around us and stepped back a step. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

I waved my finger back and forth, and if I wasn't so mad at him right now, I probably would have found the way the crinkled his nose and squinted his eyes completely and utterly adorable. It _wasn't_ adorable though, well, it was, but I didn't feel like admiring him at the moment! He insulted my hair!

Natsu spent his sweet time trying to figure out how many fingers I had up at him, and by the time that thirty seconds passed the answer was blatantly clear that he, well, couldn't answer it.

"Thr…tw.." he bit on his tongue then and gave a shake of his head. He blinked and threw his hands up in defeat, and hissed out. "This is stupid!"

"And you need help!" I shot back at him. I lowered my finger as he pouted at me angrily, and a variety of comments exploded throughout the guild about Natsu losing his sight. He pressed his hands to his eyes then and I saw his face twist into slight pain. It seemed like doing that simple exercise strained them enough to where his head began to hurt. He pressed a finger to his temple and sat, broodily, as he tried to clear up the throbbing pain probably in his head right now.

"Okay okay, everyone relax," I yelled, and most of everyone quieted down.

"Natsu I have a great eye doctor, me and Elfman have been seeing her since we were kids. I'm sure Mira has the place written around here somewhere right?" Lisanna said, looking to her sister with bright eyes.

Mira nodded at her and looked back to Natsu staring at them blankly, "Of course! She has these wonderful contacts, you don't even feel them!"

Natsu jumped up from his seat then and held up his hands defensively, "Woah woah, _contacts_? No way in hell!"

Elfman pushed his way through the crowd now and held up his tiny contact case, "It takes a real man to admit his weaknesses Natsu, let me help you!"

Natsu stumbled back into the bar then and knocked down a few glasses as Elfman stepped up and screeched. He looked like a scared little _bunny_ right now, holy shit. "No way! I am not putting some weird thing in my eye, no way! Get away from me!"

"Oh Natsu," I called out to him and caught his glance, "It's nothing to be freaked out by, he just wants to help."

Gray laughed as Natsu seethed at me, "I'm not freaked out, I just don't want anything touching my eyes. Especially this giant monster and his sausage fingers–"

Elfman clicked his tongue at Natsu then, vaguely offended, but decided not to let it show.

"Then I'll do it," I said, soothingly, "I've been helping Levy and Lisanna for months, it'll be fine."

"_No_," he said, sternly, "I _don't_ need contacts, I'm _not_ scared of them, and I'm _not_ blind! I can see _perfectly_ well!"

With that and a huff, Natsu turned and headed back towards the exit. He only got as far as the wooden doors though before he stopped. He ran his hands all over the oaken wood and even shoved it pathetically.

He settled down for a second and stared at it silently, before turning back to us all with a certain look. "Does anyone want to give me a hand?"

I sighed and stood up from my seat. I walked over as he waited with an impatient look and tugged on the handle where it's literally always been. The door easily cracked open and he nodded at me pridefully as he stepped out. "Thank you."

I pushed the door shut as he left and let it slap shut with a _click_. I shrugged to the crowd watching me, and gave a sad shake of my head.

This was going to be more difficult than I thought. Of course.

* * *

I was waiting for Natsu now. After a while, it seemed like he was slowly coming around to accepting that he was losing his sight. He still blew up at any mention of contacts, though he didn't trip and break three glasses when it was brought up now. I never knew he was so touchy about his eyes. It was kind of funny actually.

So, considering his little pet peeve, I decided to go down an alternate route I never really thought would work with someone like him. I sat now and read my book, and awaited the moment for when he always decided to break in and hang out for a while.

I heard the scrape of my bedroom window behind me and turned to see him crawling onto my bed. He hopped up to his feet then and smiled at me, "Hey Lucy."

"Hey," I smiled back and hopped up just like him. I failed at trying to seem casual but I couldn't help it. I just loved giving presents. "C'mere! I have something for you."

I waved him forward and he complied. I sat him down in front of me and I picked up a case sitting on my coffee table. "What's that?" he asked, curiously.

"A present. Try them on for me?" I asked. I stifled a great big grin as I cracked open the case and pulled out a pair of glasses. His gaze creased at the sight of those, but at least he wasn't freaking out as badly as when I took out his contacts.

"I figured since you don't like contacts, these might fit you better." I shrugged. I showed him the long frames that held the glass pieces and opened them up to place on his nose. He allowed me to slide them back behind his ears and center them in front of his eyes.

I nearly froze as I gazed to him. He scrunched up his nose and fiddled with them, before I stepped back to look at him clearly. I honestly couldn't think of anything to say. What the hell could I say?

These glasses _completely changed_ him. I mean _completely changed_ how he looked.

He looked…_better_. I couldn't even explain it. The dark frames complemented his eyes more than I expected, they seemed to brighten up his green irises and even make them look slightly larger. It made his nose look all small and cute and the glass even managed to emphasize the dark eyelashes that I had honestly _never_ even noticed before. What the hell?

He was.._hot_. And _cute as hell_ all at the same time. How was that possible?

"Alright, so? How do they look?" he asked, casually.

I had to sit down, holy shit. I slowly slid onto my coffee table in front of his legs and I struggled to even find my voice. This finding of his sudden attractiveness was way too much for me to handle at this one moment, wow oh wow.

"They…they're–uh, you look–" I stammered around before I closed my eyes and focused all my thoughts on trying to _speak. _I finally huffed out a great big smile, and clasped my hands. "I like them."

_Understatement of the year._

He grinned at that. He didn't even seem to notice how bad I was at covering my internal thoughts. Maybe his density was something useful after all.

"Really? You think so?" he said, and got up to head towards my mirror. He stared at himself for a few moments and adjusted the glasses to his liking, and I think it was safe to say that he liked them.

I got up and joined him by his side. He made all kinds of funny faces to himself in the mirror and I couldn't help but laugh at them. Aw, he's so cute.

…wait. Waaaii–

"Thanks for these Lucy, I like em too." Natsu spoke up, and looked towards me with a grin. Something about the way his eyes suddenly gleamed in the glass had my stomach flipping, and I managed out a nervous laugh.

What the hell was happening?

"So uh, before you fall in love with them, how well can you see?" I asked eagerly, and tried to change the subject of both my mind and tongue.

"Better," he admitted, and blinked a bit as if to test it out.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" I asked him again, and smiled as I put up a peace sign.

He tilted his head at me this time and I really had to focus on not giggling on the account of his adorableness. It was just–his nose! And his smile, and his eyes! I don't even know what I mean but he was so cute! He would just crinkle his nose and squint his eyes when he had to focus on seeing something clearly and it was _beyond_ cute. I always felt something like this when he had that little puzzled look on his face, but it was never something to_ this _extent. Did these glasses just unleash a flood or something?

"Two," he said proudly, a cheeky little smile on his lips. He had his fists balled up on his hips like he was some superhero and a confident puff in his chest, he looked like a five year old. And that goofy little grin was not helping the case at all. In fact, it was worsening it. _By a lot!_

"Great, they seem to be working perfectly," I said, "So do you like this pair? We can get them in different shapes and stuff if you want."

I suggested this to him out of kindness and also slight hope that he might get another ugly pair and I can get over whatever the hell was happening inside of me. I smiled back at him cheekily, but he gave a nice shake of his head, "Nah. I like these."

Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? Even he got a glimpse of himself in a mirror.

"Great." I muttered. My tone failed to capture any enthusiasm. He didn't notice though, of course.

I sighed and headed back to lean against my couch. I crossed my arms as he continued to check out his new glasses and then proceeded to ruin his little moment. "You know, this doesn't get you out of needing contacts right?"

His happy expression instantly faltered at that, and turned to one of more distaste and irritation. He looked back to me, "What do you want now?"

I just shrugged and gave a big sigh, "I wouldn't suggest them Natsu if you didn't need them. Those glasses might be good, but I highly doubt that they'll survive a single fight. They're not exactly gonna stick to you, you know? They'll fly off and get crushed and all kinds of stuff, and glasses are pretty expensive if you didn't know."

He let out a soft moan and slumped against the wall. He looked up to me then, "I guess."

I rocked to my feet and came to lean in front of him, "I promise they're not as bad as you make them out to be. I'll help you with them, you know me, I'm super careful. You can trust me."

He lolled his head back into the wall and hummed out a reluctant agreement. I smiled at that dimly, "Well, we don't need them now. I was hoping to relax for a while, that last mission has me set for a few months on rent. You can just keep the glasses until then, okay?"

He brightened up at those words and shot straight up in my face, "Awesome, thanks Lucy! You're the best!"

I blushed at that, flattered, "_Yeah_, well…"

He zoomed right past me then and shouted out something about showing Happy and everyone his new and improved sight. He was out the window before I could even fully turn around.

I dropped my pleased smile and pursed my lips in a twitch of annoyance. What an idiot.

* * *

It's been a few days since Natsu showed everyone his new glasses and I was surprised to see how welcoming everyone was towards it. You would figure the guys would make fun of him and call him a dork or something, but they just nodded along and complimented him on the glasses. I found that strangely comforting.

Something I just found plain strange though was all this _nonsense_ happening inside of me. It was like Natsu was all the sudden this new…_hot exchange student_ that little miss schoolgirl me couldn't take their eyes off of! It was outrageous! I already _admitted_ that I found Natsu cuter with the glasses, but I shouldn't be reacting so _drastically_.

Just because I found him more attractive, it didn't mean that I_ liked_ him all the sudden. Gray was attractive! Loke was too, and I did not like _either_ of them. This was the same thing! Natsu was suddenly 50X hotter to me now, but it didn't matter. He was still my best friend and it _didn't mean anything_. I was sure of it, and _no_ I'm not doubting myself.

I was sitting at the guild now, and watched absently as Natsu struggled to untangle his fishing line across from me. I think he was still adjusting to using his glasses because he still did that constant 'squint and crinkle' look whenever he came across a knot too small for him to see. And it still had my heart squeezing like seeing a puppy sleeping on your chest. It was _too damn cute._

"What what what?" he snapped me back into reality. I jerked up in my seat as a tiresome sigh escaped his lips and he dropped the fishing line, "Why are you laughing at me?"

Was I laughing at him? I nearly laughed at that idea, and gave him a clueless shrug, "Was I laughing? I didn't notice."

"Meh, you were smiling at me all weird. I'd like to see you try and untangle this." he muttered below his breath.

"I wasn't making fun of you," I told him, my cheek now rested in my palm. "Just smiling."

He looked up to me and pushed his glasses up with a suspicious look, "Why?"

My smile widened involuntarily at that act, and I let out a soft laugh. "You're just cute." I admitted, casually.

Natsu raised his eyes to mine at that, and I struggled to accurately read what went through his mind. He didn't seem all affected by that, a rather quiet, "Huh…" escaped his lips in reply though. He continued to work on his fishing line then and I noted how much more focused he was on it now than before.

It wasn't like I expected him to be affected that much anyways. I had developed a habit recently of blurting things like that when I saw him. I couldn't help it, it was like this overwhelming sense of adoration I couldn't control. He knew by now that I liked his glasses, it was painfully obvious even, and yet I always had to go pushing his buttons by calling every little thing he did _cute_. By calling_him_ cute. I was annoying myself to be perfectly honest, but it made me happy.

I didn't like him. At least, I didn't think so…

I couldn't like him just because he was suddenly physically appealing to me, I wasn't _that_ shallow. I just admired his expressions now, and voiced them. There was nothing wrong with that. I told Levy how cute she was sometimes, this was no different.

Though, of course, since Natsu wasn't a _girl_, most people didn't understand the depth of what I meant when I said that. _He_ got it! I think…

I just liked complimenting people, okay? I didn't get how _no one_ else noticed how good looking Natsu had suddenly become. Were they all blind? Did no one think this in the slightest?

Maybe it was just me. Maybe I just have a weird sense in taste. Probably explains why I can't find a single man to like anywhere in this town.

I sighed as Natsu worked on his fishing line and went up to grab a drink next to Cana. She was busy guzzling her barrel, as always, and I settled with a tiny cup that was perched next to her. She noticed me then and set her drink back between her legs, and wiped her lips free of foam. "Hey there Lucy."

"Hey," I greeted, more blandly than I liked to, and sat next to her on a bar stool.

"Feelin' alright there?" she asked, her voice shrill from the bitter taste of whatever concoction she had in that barrel.

I shrugged, "I'm whatever."

"Well I have somethin' that'll cheer you up," she said with a smirk. I watched as she pulled a piece of paper out from beside her, and gave it to me. "That's a mission I found on the board, s'offering something about a key right? I figured that was up your alley or.."

She waved a hand to dismiss herself, the drunken sloppiness of her words vaguely transferring into my sober translator. I read the paper and sure enough, it was offering a silver key and some Jewels as a reward. How considerate of her.

"Wow, thanks Cana. Maybe me and Natsu can get on this." I smiled up to her.

She let out a long, dry, laugh at the sound of that name, and slumped down into the stool next to me. "Is that kid still running at the sound of contacts?"

I rolled my eyes, "He's coming around, but you know him. He can stubborn as hell sometimes."

Cana laughed at the lowly, bringing a mug that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere to her lips. "Well, it's a good thing he's pretty now, at least."

I smiled absently at that, "Yea–wait, what?"

I turned to her quickly and she rose an eyebrow at me, chugging down the last of her drink. She didn't seem at all affected at the comment she made.

"Natsu," she repeated, pointing her mug towards him, "He's like a total babe now. Somethin' about those glasses I guess."

A quivering gasp of relief spilled out of my lips before I could even catch myself. I shifted closer to her and she merely stared at me questioningly. "You think that too?"

"You think he's cuter now?" I asked right after myself, my whisper in a form of an intense hiss.

She nodded casually.

"Oh thank God!" I laughed out a big sigh of relief, "I thought it was just me!"

Cana shook her head, a laugh of her own coming out, "Are you kidding? Natsu could easily join the race now with those things, that was the ace in his pocket the whole time. He's much easier on the eyes now."

"Exactly!" I agreed. I actually felt no better feeling than to actually get to talk to someone about this stuff. I knew if I brought this up with anyone else than I would automatically get hit left and right with asks about 'if i loved him' or 'when the wedding was'. It was so nice to just get this all off my chest now.

Both our eyes found Natsu now, still messing around with that stupid fishing line, and he adjusted his glasses again to squint and scrunch up his nose.

"He's so cute," I sighed, my cheek cupped in my palm again.

"When he does that nose thing? Yeah, I see what you mean." Cana chuckled, and sipped off her mug.

I could just imagine it, imagine squeezing his cheeks and seeing that cute little cheeky smile slip onto his lips. I could hear his laugh whenever he did something goofy, how his voice would crack sometimes like a twelve year old and try to cover it up with another laugh. Every time he did something stupid like that I just wanted to hug him, and I had _no idea why_. It was like these glasses turned him into a giant teddy bear or something now, _every thing he did was adorable_.

I even found myself wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips, when they were scrunched up, twisted, pursed, parted in the puzzled way he always did. I found myself staring at them more often I probably should.

Natsu seemed to finally give up at the 'squint to focus' bit, and groaned out loud enough for us both to hear all the way over here. He let his feet fall to the floor from underneath him and he did something then that had us both frozen in our places.

Cana even stopped drinking.

Flustered from the fishing line mess, Natsu proceeded to bring a hand up and slide his glasses into his hair. He perched them behind his ears, the soft strands that made up his pink hair actually looking _slicked back_ from the frames getting caught along the way. He just hopped from 'cute as a bunny' to 'sexy undercover spy' with _one _movement.

_How_ was that possible? _How_?

He studied the fishing line with an overly-focused crease in his eyebrow, looking quite broodily mad at his lap. I could tell he was sucking his teeth from all the way over here, and the fact that he actually looked slightly _annoyed_ during this whole thing, just made it _so much better_.

He was hot as hell. "Holy shit."

"_Damn_," Cana hummed, slumping back in her seat with an interested laugh. "Didn't think that dork could make it any better."

"Me neither," I tiled my head, my mouth opened like a fish out of water. I was damn near speechless.

Natsu slumped back in his own seat then, his back hitting roughly against the table and a tiny strand of hair popped out from the glasses frames. It fell and dropped into his eye then, which he pushed away with a lick of his lips, and _that was it for me_.

"Oh my god–"

"God_damn_–"

"I have to go," I blurted, my mind in an absolute _flurry_ of pictures I didn't need to be imagining. "I have to go _now_."

I got up and darted past him, and left out of the guild. I heard him calling and asking for my help, but I needed to reevaluate my life choices at the moment and he could not be there for any of them.

_Goddamn._

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**Only two parts, hopefully I'll finish it up today :)**

**Review? I'm experimenting with my writing a bit here :p**


	31. Sticky Fingers

**Sticky Fingers**

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I didn't like being one of those parents who brought their one year old infant literally everywhere they went, having them crying and making noise and just annoying everyone, but being a single mother didn't really leave me with many choices. It was hard, yeah I'll admit it, but it still didn't mean I couldn't handle it. Would it be nice to have an extra hand around? Yeah sure, it's not like it'll hurt, but did I need it? No.

Take it from someone who was practically raised by ten maids and eight butlers, if they could do it, so could I.

…But that still didn't help with the fact that not everyone liked babies as much as they said they did. I was standing in line now, having to buy some more diapers for the little guy and I just got him to stop crying in the basket, and the snobby glares of the couple in front of me had me just wanting to sink into oblivion. He was still sniffling, his cheeks still pinched red and frown present, although not screaming anymore, so that was a plus.

The next person before me came up to check out and I sighed, wondering _again _why more cash registers weren't open. A man came up behind me then, looking down to him, and smiled. Jude just stared at him with his big brown eyes, swaying in his seat.

I turned away, picking up a pack of gum and glanced back, seeing Jude tugging on the mans shirt. He faced him now in the basket, looking at the baby with a careful eye.

"Oh I'm sorry, was he pulling on you?" I walked over, taking his hand off his shirt.

He looked up to me, smiling a bit, "Yeah, it's fine."

I picked Jude up and held him in my arms as he started whining again, tears threatening his eyes again. I shushed him quietly, patting his back and he buried his whimpers into my hair, grasping the strands.

"He looks a lot like you," the man commented, pointing towards his head.

I smiled, gently pulling his tiny fingers from my hair and nodded, "Yeah, thanks. I get that a lot."

We both had blonde hair and brown eyes, I suppose I had some dominant genes inside, people always told me how he would probably grow up looking like my brother or something.

Jude quieted down then, turning his head back towards the guy behind us and stared at him again. He smiled in return to him, his grin big and wide, and just utterly goofy. I couldn't help but smile along with him, it was a really cute smile.

He looked back up to me then from Jude and closed his smile. "Sorry, I uh, I like kids."

He shook his head and laughed a bit, nervously, "I mean you know, they're fun to be around."

I nodded at him reassuringly, "Yeah, Jude seems to like you too."

He brightened up a bit at the sound of his name, and right at that moment Jude reached out, giggling for his attention.

I swayed him back in forth, slowly moving up in the long line. Jude made a loud laugh now, leaning out of my arms and towards the man, waving his hands back and forth. We both laughed a little, and I guess I complied.

"What's your name?" I asked, stepping up to him.

He glanced up from Jude tugging on his shirt again, his eyes light, "Natsu."

I nodded, trying to keep Jude in my arms, "I'm Lucy."

He nodded back to me and looked back down to Jude slowly raising his chubby arms up his chest. Soon enough Natsu was laughing as he had both his hands in his hair, brushing his fingers through the locks.

"I think he likes your hair," I commented, biting my lip.

"Ah of course he would," he sighed back, grinning at me.

Okay, this was really cute. I mean yeah, I could tell why kids probably loved him now, his hair was _pink_. I couldn't imagine a child in sight who wouldn't be absolutely fascinated with him. Jude giggled and played with his strands, laughing louder.

"Everyone laughs at my hair, why wouldn't you?" He sighed to Jude, gently holding his hands over his hair.

"Oh, is he pulling?" I blurted, dropping my smile.

"Yeah, just a little," he chuckled a bit, crouching over as Jude tugged again.

"I'm so sorry, he does that sometimes," I said, trying to pry his hands from his hair.

We stood there for a while, stuck in the middle of the line as Jude kept his iron lock on Natsu's hair, just laughing louder as I pulled his hands away.

"I guess I should've mentioned he has a thing for latching onto hair, you should see him when I try to put him to sleep," I joked weakly, finally taking his hands back, and hearing a cry of dismay in return.

"It's alright," Natsu shook his head, scratching at his hair with a grin. "Not the first time that's happened."

I giggled, a little more shrill than I liked and shushed Jude's whimpers again. I moved up the line, placing my things down on the conveyor belt after putting Jude back in the basket seat.

"So you don't have any kids of your own? Since, you know, you're pretty good with them?" I questioned.

He shook his head, looking a little embarrassed, "Nah, uh, no one to have them with I guess."

I nodded shortly, paying the cashier, "Yeah. I'm raising Jude by myself, so."

I stopped writing my name on the keypad then because _uh_, what did I just say? Did I just imply I wanted him as a father? What the hell Lucy?

"Sorry to hear that."

I looked to him, giving a quick smile. "It's fine. We're both fine, I don't…know why I said that."

I gave a weird laugh, cringing as I did so. Shut up already, my lord.

I hurried up putting my card away and packing up my bags, seeing him stand up next to me.

"Well, if you ever need any help, I'm sure I could give a hand," he shrugged, looking to me casually.

I gazed to him through my eyelashes, clearing my throat from a blush I sure as hell felt coming.

"If you want I mean, I have a friend who works at a daycare, so not just me." He elaborated.

"That sounds nice, thanks," I nodded, a little too eagerly. I sighed, pulling out a pen from my bag and grabbed his hand.

I wrote my number down, seeing him grinning up to me softly. "I'll look forward to it."

"Alright." He replied, staring at his hand.

I pushed Jude out back towards the doors, waving a hand. "Sorry about your hair."

He waved back, "You can repay me later."

I turned away, smiling a bit and saw Jude reaching for Natsu again, wanting more attention from him. I sighed and shook my head. The amount of things I had in common with this baby was astounding, I almost felt like doing the same.

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**:) review?**


	32. Seeing Clearly (2)

**Seeing Clearly**

**Part 2**

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"I can't do this."

"Yes you can, just try," I coaxed, staring at his eyes through the mirror, "I'm not gonna do it for you every time, you have to learn to do it yourself."

Natsu rolled his eyes at me like I was his mother and clicked his tongue. He took the contact lens case out from my hand and studied it with no interest. I had finally gotten him to try contacts at the mention of Cana's mission, and after having half the guild hold him down just to get a _single _one in his eye, he finally got over himself and accepted that it wasn't nearly as bad as he made it out to be.

He was more willing to wear them now, considering the inhuman amount of times he got in fights and risked breaking his glasses, though he had yet to actually put them in by _himself_. Yep, _I_ was the one to put them in for him every single time he wanted to go out and beat up Gray for some unknown reason, and even then he would squirm around and complain like a giant baby.

I think by now he's gotten more used to the feel of them, but when it came to touching his eye he would just _melt_. It was unreal to see him so against something, I'm pretty sure he'd rather eat Erza's cake than put a simple contact in his eye.

I sat out on my couch now and waited for him to try to do this by himself for once, but after around ten minutes passed with no weird noises, I knew this probably wasn't going to happen today. I heard the door slam open with a long groan and I sighed as he came around to me. He slumped down on the couch and laid his head on my lap before I could even sit up.

"I can't do it, can you?" he asked, his tone tiredly disappointed.

I blushed as he adjusted his head more comfortably on my legs, and saw him hold up the contacts case for me to take. His hair actually kind of tickled my skin, but it still felt like a mass of fluffy feathers splayed out on my thighs.

"You're hopeless, aren't you?" I sighed and took the case.

"Probably," he twisted his lips, his eyes fixated on mine.

I made sure to shove down the flutters inside my stomach at that moment, and popped open the case with a slight tingle in my finger. I got situated and leaned over to get the right angle on his eyes, but a sudden laugh disrupted my focus.

I looked down to him, "What?"

"Your hair, it's tickling my nose." he laughed again, shortly.

I glanced down and saw the few strands that had touched the bridge of his nose, and I couldn't help but smile at his smile. I brushed my hair over my shoulder and got my situated again, the contact on my finger and my hand on his cheek, "Ready?"

He took in a big breath and hummed. I pulled his lower eyelid down and he immediately cringed to shut his eyes shut.

"Oh come on, quit flinching," I admonished him. He relaxed and I flicked his temple, "Suck it up, keep your eyes open."

He sighed out a groan and opened his eyes back up, "You're supposed to be nice."

"And you're supposed to be brave, but I guess we're both disappointments today."

He glared at me, vaguely offended, and I just shot his look right back at him. I pulled down on his eyelid again, slower this time, and he kept his eyes locked in mine. I placed the contact on his iris and he blinked a few times to clear the water that had built up. I got the other contact out and readjusted his head on my lap again, as my fingers absently ran through his hair.

"Ready?" I asked, not exactly waiting for his mark. He seemed prepared nonetheless as I gently opened his eye up like the other. I placed the contact in but it wasn't as centered as the other. I hesitated on the trying to move it around, I knew he would probably get all squirmy.

He seemed surprisingly calmer this time around though. I told him to hold on a second, and my voice for some reason could barely raise to a normal volume. I took my time centering the contact, and during that time I couldn't help but get distracted by how green his eyes suddenly seemed. I mean, I always knew they were green, but usually they just seem really dark. You had to be up close to see the small flecks of color in his irises, and that was always something about him that fascinated me.

I finished fixing up his eye and slowly pulled my hand away. I bit down my tongue, but I felt a familiar sense of word vomit try to spill out. I pondered on if I should really mention it, but, like always, I said it before I could even decide.

"You have really pretty eyes."

They switched up to mine at that comment, and flickered with a flash of something sweet. He started to smile then, the corners of his lips lifting up to show his canines, but it seemed to slowly stop halfway through. It looked softer than most of his usual smiles. And I could barely take my eyes off it. And, ultimately, the lips that composed it. The way they stretched so shamelessly across his face, how if you looked long enough you could begin to see the old scars of the numerous times he's had the skin busted, and yet how despite the usually gruesome marks, that they seemed so _insufferably_ enticing. My lungs felt shallow of air as I blinked and realized what I had just felt.

"Thanks." he said. He let his gaze switch between my own eyes. "So do you."

I cracked a smile of my own at that. He let his gaze linger for a second longer, before he jumped up from my lap and stretched his back. I missed the feeling of him laying on me for a second there and saw him shove his glasses into his pocket. He cracked his neck and other joints, and offered me a smile as he saw I was watching.

"Time to go kick Gray's ass, I'll catch you later kay?" he waved at me and hopped up on my bed.

"Yeah…" I said, my voice failed to capture any enthusiasm. I watched him hop out of the window and disappear from my sights. "See you later."

I felt the sudden solitude drain me of my spirits. I leaned back into my couch and sunk myself into my cushions, and hoped that _maybe_ it would swallow me whole. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I couldn't take my eyes off his _lips_ for a second there. I knew I said I wondered what it might be like to kiss him, but this was the first time I actually felt _inclined_ to try it. I thought about kissing everyone, if I'm being perfectly honest, but it wasn't like I wanted to around and actually _do_ it. My genuine curiosity about how soft his lips would've felt against mine_ had_ to go beyond further than I thought.

I liked him, didn't I? Oh _god_ I liked him. This was _terrible_, how could I let this happen?

It was those _damn_ glasses. If he hadn't lost his sight then he wouldn't of needed them and I wouldn't of been revealed to this new profound Natsu where I drooled over him every second of the day. I just _had _to realize that he was attractive, the entire time I had known him he was there, being all _secretly cute_, and I was just super late to recognizing it._ Damn it._

I had no idea what I was going to do now. But, what could I do? So I liked him, big deal, everyone crushes on their best friend at some point right? And it always passes, I just had get over it. I mean it wasn't like I actually_ saw us_ going anywhere…right?

Oh…dear god.

* * *

"Hey Lucy, look! Don't I look super smart?"

Natsu held up a stack of pages in front of his eyes then, and curled his lips into a sophisticated frown of wonderment. He stroked his imaginary beard as he sat with an ankle crossed over his leg, and peeked over his papers to glance at me playfully. He adjusted his glasses then with a quirk in his eyebrow.

"All I need is a pipe…" he joked, and looked around as if he were to actually find one laying in my apartment.

I cracked a distracted smile at that and continued to bandage up the wound on Happy's wing. "Hey here's an idea, why don't _you_ come fix up Happy? He's your cat you know."

After a rather tense battle on a mission, Happy had just about gotten the brute of it. He was flying Natsu around as he always was and some guy out of nowhere shot down his wing with an arrow. They both crashed and landed pretty roughly into a building, but luckily that was the worst of it. Mira had managed to get the arrow out of Happy's wing, but she had to knock the poor fellow out cold so that he wouldn't squirm and cry because of the pain.

He was on a fast track to getting better now, though those pills Happy had taken still had him like he was practically dead. I accidentally plucked a feather out at one point and he didn't so much as stir in his state, it was pretty funny.

"Eh, you're better at that than I am." Natsu said, "And plus, I'm _super_ busy at the moment."

I I glanced back to him from over my shoulder and saw his nose still stuck in those papers. I creased my eyes at that and picked up Happy to lay on my bed, before I turned back to him. "What are those?"

He switched his eyes to me and a guilty little smile slipped on his lips, "Nothing…"

I looked back to the stack of papers and instantly saw handwriting on them, _my_ handwriting, and gasped. "Natsu! What are you doing with those!"

He jumped up with an awaiting laugh as I darted towards him. I growled out at him and picked up a pillow from my couch to throw at him. "What have I _told_ you about going through my stuff?!"

He caught the cushion easily and unveiled a giant grin just plastered on his face, "Oh c'mon, it was going great so far, can't you let me finish it?"

I growled out again. He_ so_ knew that I wrote all of my stories based on _our_ adventures, of course he would want to finish it, it was probably about_ him_.

"Give me that!" I hissed, my teeth bared at his figure.

"Oh don't get all embarrassed Lucy," he soothed, and ran around the chair as I chased him. "I think you write great!"

"Natsu," I seethed. He stopped behind the back of the couch as I stomped in his path. I held out my hand for the papers, but he merely held them high above his head where he knew I couldn't reach. I made a lame attempt at taking them and he yanked back at the last second, he teased me. "Natsu!"

He only laughed at my pathetic attempts and I finally growled out and punched his arm. He hissed through his teeth at that and his arm fell for a second, and I took the chance to snatch the papers out from his hands. He rubbed his arm as I huffed out at him, and tossed the stack back on my desk where he probably found it.

"You used to be nice," he grumbled, playfully, "Whatever happened to that?"

I pouted my lips and gave him a subtle narrow of my eyes, "I am _nice_."

"Being nice means you don't smack people," Natsu said with a click of his tongue, "Remember that time when you paid for me and Happy's lunch when we first met? That was nice. And when you blew off that one guy to come on a mission with us? _That_ was nice. And not even a week ago," he begun to giggle, "All those compliments you made?"

I began to blush as a smile shamelessly slipped across his lips. Man I _knew_ that would come back to bite me.

"Whatever happened to that? I liked those, and you just stopped." he noted, and struggled _still_ to stifle that knowing grin.

"Don't you still think I'm 'cute' or whatever?" he laughed. I found an amused twinkle in his eye as he said that, and I noticed then the slight step forward he took as he squared his shoulders up with mine. I was forced to look up if I wanted to glance to his eyes, though my sights fell on something more in my vicinity. Something that was just _right there_, where I had _no_ intention of ever looking at the moment.

I held my breath as my eyes fell onto his lips. I didn't mean to look, but they were right there. He had stepped in so close to mirror me that our height difference really didn't allow my sights to go anywhere else. My eyes were right at his mouth, and I don't think anything has twisted my stomach so _achingly_ before. I actually _ached_ for them, his lips, and I realized this with a heavy heart. I cursed mentally, hopelessly, as I had the incredible epiphany that I _longed_ for best friend. What the hell was that? What the hell was_ this?_ I was supposed to be mad at him right now, but it was like as I soon as I laid eyes on him, all those brash feelings just drained away like they were never there. I felt so _content_ when I looked into his eyes, and I was beginning to worry that it might mean more than I allow myself to see.

I longed for his lips, his touch, his laugh, his goddamn _presence,_ and I really couldn't keep up with it anymore. I…_felt_ like…I loved him? Liked him? I wasn't sure, but _wow_ did I know one thing for sure at this moment, and that was that I _had_ to kiss him.

"Hm?" he pressed, suddenly pulling me back into reality, his eyebrow cocked as I still had yet to answer him.

I had to kiss him. He was too close, I could see the single lashes that framed his eyes through the glass, I could smell that earthy/sweet scent that always aired off of him like an aura, and the smile that so shamelessly stretched across his lips just about had me to my knees. His lips turned into a vibrant pink as he ran his tongue across them mindlessly, before they returned to open up into a lopsided, mischievous smirk.

I darted my eyes up into his as he still stood and awaited some sort of answer. I swallowed thickly. My eyes ended up trailing down to his lips again, slowly and full of hesitation. It was painfully obvious where I was staring now, yet, I couldn't bring myself to look away. His closeness just made the air too intimate for me to _not_ feel some sort of way. Maybe he felt it too?

I didn't look back up to confirm. His lips parted though, probably in an absent act of realization of where I was so concentrated on. I vaguely saw where his tongue made a feeble attempt to say something, yet nothing came out of his mouth. I realized then how I had leaned forward, agonizingly slow towards where my eyes sat, and before I could even register my actions, I had closed the gap.

My eyes fluttered shut as a silky sense of pure warmth poured into my skin. My lips had just barely captured his, and the overwhelming wonders of how soft and warm they truly felt _finally_ came true, in the most purest, _satisfying_ of ways. My nose brushed against his, and bumped together accidentally, but I refused to even concern it in my thoughts. My hand was pressed against his cheek as softly as I could, and I immediately felt him stiffen against me, warmth now pooled beneath the skin of his cheek that had undoubtedly begun to stain pink.

I let go quickly then and put a space between us, and I don't think I could have looked more guilty if I tried. What the hell did I just do? I mean, that was…_amazing_, but what the _hell_ did I just do?

Natsu didn't seem to know what the hell I just did either. He stared at me, wide eyed like an owl and even a little befuddled. He licked his lips slowly and shifted his weight to his other leg in a feeble attempt to compose himself, before he gathered up the nerve to stare at me through his glasses.

"Should I have done that? I shouldn't of done that," I blurted out. I bit down on my lip then, and my teeth bared behind it anxiously. I could feel my heart hammering against my chest, and even now, after I realized how _stupid_ of a action that was, I still longed to do it again. I still wanted to kiss him.

"I, uh," Natsu made an attempt to speak, though with a feeble wave of his hand, I assumed that was about as much that would make it out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry!" I whined, the crack in my voice spilled out before I could catch it. "I just couldn't help it! You were so close and you were smiling all cute-like and I didn't even realize what I was _doing _until I pulled away–I couldn't, I didn't _want_ to–gah, it was those _damn_ glasses!"

Natsu perked up at that, a genuine look of confusion gleaming through those damn beautiful irises. "My glasses?"

"Yes!" I hissed, and threw my hands up, "Ever since you got them it's completely changed everything! They made you cute! I mean, you were _already_ cute but I didn't _realize_ it until you put them on! It's their fault!"

Natsu didn't even offer another comment as he circled around me to lean against the couch, in seemingly deep thought. I turned around to face him and waited anxiously for him to say something, _anything_, but he was at complete loss for words. Was the kiss really that _monumental?_

I fiddled my fingers and studied him with more or less an overly eager look. He kept his gaze down to the space between his hands, he was completely still. Every now and again he would let out a sigh and if I was hearing correctly, I would say that he was out of breath. I kinda felt like that too, my heart beat so rapidly sometimes I found it hard to draw in a breath when I most desperately needed it. Maybe his heart was racing too? I swallowed again, his silence was worsening my hope with every passing second.

He sucked in a sudden breath then and I perked up as he was about to say something. He flicked his eyes towards me and let his mouth open to speak, but nothing came out but a conflicted jumble of sounds. His gaze went straight back to the couch with a snort of his nose and I hesitantly leaned in, and creased my eyebrow at him.

"Can we do that again?" he breathed out, _finally_, and looked at me with a very scared, confusing look. I held my breath at that, my stomach _soaring_ up into my chest as he nodded to himself. He gained confidence in himself after he said that and pointed his finger back and forth between us, "I'm gonna–we're gonna do it again."

Natsu came towards me then with a sudden vigor and I felt completely disembodied. I couldn't move, speak, think, I just saw him close the space between us with an eager anticipation churning in my gut. _He wanted to kiss me?_

"Okay," I managed out, shakily, before I felt his hand curl through my hair. He pulled me into him, into his chest, and seal his lips over mine. I only got to savor that moment for a second before the plastic bridge of his glasses roughly rammed into my nose. We both pulled back with a weak hiss, and Natsu held onto his glasses quickly before they slipped off.

He grinned lamely then, "Sorry."

I watched silently as he slid his glasses up into his hair then, and forcibly muffled his grin towards me. It split wide open the second after, uselessly, and I couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. I was damn near frozen with shock still, but I just laughed _so_ hard. This was so…_amazing_–I couldn't believe it! I couldn't!

I raised my arms up to circle around his neck then and pressed my smile onto his. I kissed him sweetly, and he returned it just as eagerly. I felt his arms wrap around me then and he pulled my chest into his, he nearly dragged me to my toes. I deepened it at that movement, yet I could still feel that goofy, _lame_, **incredible** smile against my lips. And I couldn't help but replicate it.

He turned me in his hold, us both practically swayed on our feet in a little dance until my back hit the couch, where he lifted me up to dip over the back. He though, ungracefully, fell over and on top of me as we both crashed into the cushions. I felt his tongue brush against my lips as he did that, as if to make up for the clumsy movement, but I felt him completely _freeze_ on top of me as a soft _crack_ sounded above us.

He pulled his lips away from mine then, surprised, and I heard him whisper a soft curse. He sat us both up and I watched then as he plucked the glasses off of his head, and an even louder curse slip off of his lips.

His glasses had broken. He stared at the shard in his hands like it was some ancient relic, and I honestly did not understand why this was more important than kissing me. I know that sounded a bit selfish, but come on! Our first kiss and he's going to stop because his glasses snapped?

"Shit Lucy," he said, sorrow laced his words enough to worry me. "This isn't good."

I opened my mouth to tell him it was alright, but he whipped towards me before I could even say a word, "Don't worry! I can fix this, I can still be cute, I promise! I just have to go get them fixed!"

He held the glasses to me and I paused at that, a crease in my eyebrow offered to him. He didn't think that I only liked him because of his glasses, right? I mean, I know I said it was _because_ of the glasses but, he knows that I like him for him, right?

I watched him for a second, and by the way he was panicking, I think it was safe to say that he _didn't_ get that.

"Natsu, I still like y–"

"No no, it's okay!" he held a hand up to shush me and hopped to his feet. "Just–wait right here, I'll be _right_ back."

He darted away from the couch then and went towards the closest exit, which was the door, and I gaped at him as he _left_ me. "_Natsu!_"

"Just wait! I'll get 'em fixed and–yeah! Wait!" he yelled at me, his voice slowly diminished as he left through the door.

I sat there, _alone_ on my couch and scoffed to myself. I slumped back in my seat and actually _waited _for the idiot, and I could still hear the heavy skips in his step as he ran towards the stairwell.

Not even a second later, a shriek sounded out through the apartment building and a long sentence of thumps followed right after that, before a final _thud_ echoed downstairs. I sighed.

Did he really think going down the stairs with no glasses was the best idea?

* * *

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* * *

**Yay, happy ending! Natsu's clueless as ever x)**

**Review?**


	33. The Spy Upstairs (5)

_Per request, I've censored this chapter for those uncomfortable with the F-word, which believe me, was a lot in this chapter x)_

_To find the original version, plug this in after 'thethoughtrepository' .com: _**_ post/129036067447/the-spy-upstairs_**

* * *

**The Spy Upstairs**

**Part 5**

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Ow. Ow. Ow.

My feet were killing me. Like, actually killing me. It hurt to walk, my arms were burning, and I could only see where I was heading every couple of seconds because these cheap ass streetlights didn't even work half the time.

Why was I grocery shopping at five in the morning again?

I hesitated on my feet for a second, before sighing and started up again. Because I was lazy as hell, that's why. And I haven't had a single minute to myself in forever, I was absolutely drained.

I had no idea where I even stood with Fairy Tail. It was like I was stuck in the happy medium with everyone there, except it wasn't all that happy. And me not being on the good side of a goddamn assassin league wasn't exactly sitting all that well with me.

On one hand, Erza and the others have seem to come around a bit more concerning me. I think they realized that I actually held no real threat to their organization, at least, with me and like planting bombs or killing people or something. Someone actually had the audacity to call me a 'harmless little bunny'.

Honestly, who came up with that. I mean I liked bunnies, but still. I don't think I should take that as much of a compliment.

On the other hand though, I don't think anyone actually really trusted me. They knew my last name, which was definitely enough to get a few stares that lasted a bit too long to be friendly, and they knew that I baffled Erza in some way that had them concerned. And despite them not worrying all that much about what I could do physically, I still think I was considered a threat by even knowing this place existed. They didn't trust me to keep their secret, and I honestly couldn't blame them. I was just some M.E.

So, that's great. Perfect. You could call me paranoid or whatever, but Erza managed to validate both of my theories in one simple run.

It wasn't like I was hanging out regularly at the base now, I was dragged there once for questioning and then Erza came back to drag me there again to file out those stupid disclosure forms on Natsu and everything. Though this time she didn't tie a bag around my head, so I took that as progress and called it a day.

Point being, if I had known that being friends with my assassin neighbor was going to be so draining, I would've rethought this entire thing.

Okay that's a lie, I still would've done exactly what I did before because he's cute and this was exciting, but still, I needed a break. I was lugging home two giant bottles of wine now, and they were really beginning to feel a lot like jugs of sand. Along with that and a few groceries, I had my hands full, so yes, there was a reason I had a bag of chocolates stuck between my teeth at this moment. I was out of room, okay? It was the only place left I could hold them without them falling to the ground every five steps. Graceful, I know.

And…it was about to be even less graceful. I stopped at a crosswalk, the hand bright red thankfully, and I really had to resist resting everything on the ground now. I was so close, I could literally see my window from here. I think I was drooling though. My lips felt wet as I gnawed on the plastic wrapper, and I felt it start to slowly slide from my teeth. Oh come on, don't do this now.

I brought my chin to my neck, trying pathetically to curl my tongue around the bag and twisted my head a bit to try and catch a better grip. I probably looked like a giraffe trying to fight a tree right now, sticking my tongue out and clamping down on it, but hey, if it worked then it worked.

Okay it didn't work. It slipped from my teeth despite, and I made another sad attempt at catching it with my mouth, but now I was just looked like a dog trying to eat a noodle. It splatted to the ground and I groaned loudly, stamping my feet at the now bright green man ahead of me. Of course.

Man, today sucked.

I dropped everything to the ground, that stupid streetlight flickering just long enough for me to find and grab my bag. I nearly stopped on my toes then, a shiver shooting up my spine as a loud screech boomed throughout the quiet streets. I jumped back up, darting my eyes through the night as that sound got louder.

What the hell? Why was there anyone driving that fast this late at night? In this part of town?

Another screech thudded right next to me, a white blur flashing by me and whipping around the street corner I stood at. It was a van? Oh no, _nooo_.

This wasn't really happening, it wasn't what I was thinking, no way. It was just some white van, driving super fast at five in the morning and had to stop suddenly right in front of me, that didn't mean anything right?

I felt all that hope drain from me as the side doors were thrown open, a sickening weight in my stomach as someone jumped out and darted straight for me. I felt paralyzed, I didn't know what to do. What the hell _could_ I do? I was literally about to be _kidnapped_ right now, what could I even do?

Before I could even step back, I felt the person grab me, shoving a cloth between my teeth that I ended up biting into and screaming. I cried out loudly, hoping to _God_ that someone would hear me and come get this psycho _off of me._

Oh my god, oh my god, this was real. This was really real, I was being taken right now and I couldn't do a goddamn thing. This beast wrapped an arm around my stomach now, lifting me up off my feet and carrying me back towards the black void in his van. My heart was hammering, I couldn't breathe. This was–I didn't know, _I didn't know._

I screamed into the gag, thrashing around as violently as I could and digging my nails into the skin of his arm. I stabbed my heels into any part of him I could reach, twisting around in his hold, but nothing happened, and I have honestly never felt fear like this before. This was absolutely terrifying, I was _powerless _against this man, I couldn't do a damn_ thing_.

I hit the floor of the van, landing on a bunch of tools and stuff I couldn't see and muffled a groan at the pain. I got up anyways, turning back to him closing the door and crawled away as far as I could. Oh shit, oh shit, this was bad. _This was bad._

The van lurched to a start again, shooting off down the street and I felt a breath get stuck in my throat. My mind furiously imagined all of the possible scenarios of how this would turn out, the amazingly _awful_ scenarios, and I felt my breathing shallow just at the thought.

I only got a second to do so before he came back at me again, and I got another cloth in my mouth to muffle my screams. This one smelled different. It tasted bitter in my mouth, and I could feel my eyesight starting to blur. My muscles felt weak and relaxed, and my voice slowly died out as seconds passed.

He drugged me. _He drugged me_, that complete bas…

My head throbbed overwhelmingly, I couldn't even think. I struggled to stay awake, but this bastard just pressed the cloth closer, burying my nose deep in the fabric. I tried to scream again, but only a weak whimper managed to make it out. Everything felt different. I was going to pass out, _black out_, what would he do to me?

I didn't have time to imagine what he'd do. I felt myself collapse to the ground, my sight blurring down to the floor, before it eventually all went black.

* * *

Damn my head hurt. I felt it throbbing and pulsing and a bitter taste in my mouth. What the hell, did I get drunk again? Why did this always happen, did Cana come back for a visit again?

A light above me practically had me blinded, and I struggled to remember what was even happening. A blur of something dark blocked out the shining light, and I suddenly felt my heart racing again.

I was scared. Why? I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it couldn't of been anything good. Not good, not good.

"Hey!" A freezing slap of water hit my head, drenching me in something frigid that I felt sink into me. I shivered visibly, gasping out as all my senses suddenly shot back into me again like a punch to the gut.

I coughed out, shaking my now soaking wet hair out from my eyes and struggled to regain my consciousness. I tugged on my arms and legs, but something held me back. I heaved out, weakly, and looked down to the chair I was sitting it.

I was tied? I was strapped in? My wrists, my arms, even my feet? What the hell–

"Look who's finally awake," The deep voice nearly made me jump, jerking my eyes back up to the shadow from before. My breath shallowed just at the sight of the man, a sickening twist in my stomach as a little smirk crawled up on his lips, "Now we're gettin' somewhere."

I felt sick. Oh shit, oh _shit_, this was real. This was actually real, I was _kidnapped_ right now, tied to a chair in some abandoned warehouse, with this…_monster_ having complete control over me. I couldn't help but shiver.

He was absolutely terrifying.

Long mangy hair, dirty, ripped clothing, and more piercings than I could even honestly count. They looked like freaking _bolts_ were shot into his body with a _nail gun_. He suddenly grinned then, cracking open his lips to show off a gruesome grin, a dark glare in his eye.

"Wh…what do you want?" I breathed out, still trying to focus on not passing out again.

He leaned forward at that, holding onto the arm rests I was tied to, and ducked his head into my gaze. I pressed my head back as far as it would go, hesitating to raise my eyes to his. I felt his finger slip underneath my chin, raising my head up, and I felt a pulse of disgust crawl through me, yanking away from him.

"Just wanna talk," he stated, switching his eyes between mine.

I held my breath at that, watching him retract away and stand back up to me. His eyes narrowed for a second, and I could tell he noted my reaction.

I shouldn't of been so obvious, but I slipped, because I think I knew what he was talking about. Or, more like, what he wanted me to spill about.

Natsu.

It was just a matter of time, wasn't it? God, this was so cliche. How would anyone even know about us two? It wasn't like I was going around telling my friends about my assassin neighbor, and we haven't even been out in actual public together really. How did he find out?

"Something tells me you already know about what." The man said, raising a pierced eyebrow at me. He no longer held that amused smirk like when I woke up. Nope, that disappeared about as quickly as I realized what I was here for.

I shook my head despite, "I don't know what you want. Please let me go."

I looked at him through my eyelashes, hoping for some kind of empathy, any kind, but he didn't seem convinced.

"Oh quit with the bullshit." he snorted, a sudden glare in his eyes, "I don't have time to be screwing around here. Tell me about Natsu Dragneel, and you might make it out of here with just a scratch."

I swallowed at that, directing my gaze away from him to the floor. He was serious, wasn't he? I was going to be _tortured_ for information. How did this happen? How could I let this happen? This was all so messed up, honestly.

Either way this would go, I couldn't spill about Natsu. I didn't know what this guy wanted, but it was pretty damn obvious that he didn't want to run and give a hug to the guy. He wanted Natsu. He wanted what he knew, what he's given his whole life to protecting, he wanted to know what he had on his enemy.

That meant he was with Zeref. Like,_ the_ Zeref. He was a freaking _terrorist_. I was going to be tortured by a _national terrorist organization_.

Just my goddamn day.

"I don't know what you're talking about, please, I was just walking home–"

"Oh shut up!" he yelled. I flinched at that, pressing as far away from him as I could,"I already told you, no bullshit. Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail, the man you have been seen to be with on many occasions. I want to know everything you have on him, and I know you have the information we need."

He stuck his face in mine, gritting his teeth at me, and I could feel his hot breath hit my face. I felt drops fall down my cheek, and I wasn't sure if it was water or sweat.

I bared my teeth right back at him, swallowing any fear I felt lumped in my throat. I couldn't talk about Natsu, they would go after him, after Fairy Tail, and it's been made pretty goddamn clear how hard they worked to keep themselves secret. I wasn't about to screw it all up.

I wasn't like Natsu, I knew I wasn't 'trained' or able to withstand any of the pressures he did on a daily basis, but I had to at least _try._

"I don't know anything. I'm just a friend, I don't work with him or anything." I told him truthfully, keeping his glance.

He leaned forward then, placing his hands back on the arm rests, and I saw a sly little smirk crawl up on his face, a wicked gleam in his eye, "But you know where their base is."

My breath shallowed.

"Right?" he questioned me, but the look on my face was enough to convince him. "And also, where Dragneel lives too, right? You guys are roomies or somethin' huh?"

I kept quiet. Shit, this was so bad. So so bad. He knew _everything_, how was that possible? Did he just keep tabs on us both, did he follow Natsu one night? No, Natsu would have known he was being followed.

…right? Oh shit–

"You won't get anything out of me," I found myself blurting, lowering my head from his, "I won't say anything."

"Really now?" He only seemed amused by that declaration. Of course, what a jackass. I watched as he pondered a moment, his blood red eyes just sinking into mine with no shame whatsoever.

"You really think you're gonna withstand me?" he smirked, dipping his face into my view again. He knelt on his knees like he was talking to a child, tilting his head at me like he was just waiting for me to start crying and admit I needed my mother. "You think just because you've seen some blood, seen some movies, you're gonna be able to take what I'm going to do to you?"

Fear crawled through me at that, but I kept our eyes locked. My heart hammered against me, and by the way he looked at me, like I was some toy he wanted to play with, I was sure he could hear it.

"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." he tsked, his sharp teeth grazing along his lip, "Face it. You're just some stupid little worker bee, a nurse–"

"I'm a _doctor_," I cut him off, sharply, "Not a nurse."

He had no idea what I see on a daily basis, what his people _did _to make them end up like that, they didn't have to see the aftermath, to hear how these innocent people actually _died_, how they _suffered_. I did. I knew it all.

His hand flew to my throat then and I gasped out as he clamped it around me, his eyes shooting wide open in a bloodcurdling rage, "I don't give a _shit _what you are! You're going to tell me what the hell I wanna know, and you're gonna do it now."

I whimpered, feeling the feet of my chair tilt back as he pressed down harder on my throat. I gasped for a breath, fisting my hands tightly. I could barely _breathe_, this guy was going to crush my windpipe. A second later he took his hand back, my chair smacking back down to the ground and I gasped in breaths.

"_Nurse_."

I sighed out, a tick of anger budding deep within my gut. I was still scared, believe me, but this asshole was really starting to push it. This _lowlife_ was calling me some nurse, some_ assistant_, while he was the one running around, pledging his entire life to some jackass who had nothing better to do than hurt people? And he expected me to just spill my guts about Natsu _and_ Fairy Tail?

No way. No way, I was _so_ done with people who treated me like this, like I was some useless little toy who was only around to be given orders. I gave up taking orders a long time ago, and I wasn't about to let _this_ asshole think he could do any of the sort with me.

"And what if I don't?" I heaved out, licking my lips. I so knew that I would regret baiting him like this, but I think I had a plan. A good one? Probably not.

Oh it definitely wasn't. He sauntered over to some workshop desk near the back and grabbed something, coming back into the dim light over my head. He held up a pair of pliers, waving it back and forth like a hand.

I let my lips part at that, mistakenly, and he let his gaze roam over to my mouth. He ducked his head right in front of mine again, and I felt his stubby fingers pull down on my bottom lip. "Got some nice teeth there," he commented, tilting his head at me. He brought the pliers up and hovered them right in front of my lip, a sickening flip in my stomach. I breathed out a quivering breath, and he merely tapped the metal against by bottom tooth, clacking it slowly, "Be a shame if you lost them. Only would make it harder to talk anyways."

He retracted himself, and I sighed out. This was so messed up, I was so_ done for!_ I had to do it, I had to _try_, I might possibly get my teeth_ extracted_, but I couldn't just sit here anymore!

I forced out a laugh, catching his attention, and I swallowed. Say it. You have to, you can't just sit here and be _tortured_ enough to the point where you rat out Fairy Tail. _Do something._

"You're gonna rip out my teeth?" I questioned, my voice hoarser than I wanted, but still managed another amused laugh. God it hurt to laugh in this kind of situation.

"I dare you to."

He looked taken aback by that, his mind processing something that I couldn't read. Take the bait, c'mon, _take it._

He let his gaze wander a bit, bemusedly, and took a swift glance back behind him. He came to look back at me, with that same little condescending look, and even chuckled a bit. I held my breath.

He came at me, he took it. He took it! Okay okay, Lucy, don't mess this up or else you're honestly just done for.

He stepped up to me and forced my head back against the chair with his hand, dipping back into my view. He held up the pliers to my sight and clamped his hand around my neck again, tipping my chair up off the ground again. He forced my mouth open, and I squeezed my eyes shut, lurching myself forward violently.

His hand slipped off my neck as my chair smacked straight down to the ground again, only one of the legs didn't make it so far. Something blocked it. It landed _straight_ on his foot.

He yelled out, whipping backwards and yanking his foot from out under my chair leg. He immediately dropped the pliers and bent over to cradle it, leaving me to stare at him, shocked.

It worked. It actually worked, _my plan worked!_

I nearly laughed, before remembering I wasn't actually free yet. Right, right–do the thing, can I do from it here? I only saw people do these in movies, I had no freaking idea what I was doing.

I did it anyways, tipping my head back and _smashing_ it straight into his.

Oh _Jesus Christ_ that was a bad move. We both cried out, he stumbled back and I felt like my head was about to explode, oh my _god_ that really freaking hurt.

I tried to just shake it off, my vision suddenly blurred and a fierce throbbing in my head, but I forced myself up anyways. Get up, _get up_, before he does.

I tried, awkwardly, to stand up with my legs still tried to the chair. I wobbled back and forth, stretching my muscles in a way that would have them screaming for a while and saw mister dentist dumbass look back up to me. He only stared at me then, bewildered, and I saw him take a step towards me. I shrieked out, a lurch in my stomach, and twisted myself around quickly, spinning on my heels.

I flinched as the back of my chair hit him full on, stumbling down on my feet as the sudden weight loss. I caught the ground with my hand, looking back to the shambles of the chair now falling off of me. I broke it? I just broke a wooden chair on him? Goddamn.

I held up my wrists, wooden arm rests still tied to me and studied them, before glancing back to the monster still standing up, what the hell–

He shielded himself apparently, resting his arms from covering his face, and he still didn't make a move. He simply just stared at me, looking alarmed at the least, and I held up my arm rests as some sort of threat that we honestly both knew I couldn't carry out. Whatever. I felt pretty damn powerful right now.

"Don't call me a nurse again." I told him, glaring his glare right back at him.

His lips parted, and I was more than confused to see no anger in him whatsoever. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was acting like so lost? Why wasn't he making a move, he knows he can take me. Wait, why am I just standing here, giving him a chance to try and take me?_ I_ know he can take me, get the hell out of here Lucy!

I looked around for an exit, switching my eyes around quickly, before his voice rang out beside me.

"Okay I honestly don't know how to react to this, am I supposed to play along?" he asked.

I saw him looking out into the darkness in the warehouse and just gawked at him. Who the hell is he talking to? And what the hell is talking about 'play along'?

"What are you–"

My voice cut off as a door opened beside the window, light flooding into the dark, and figures coming through? I let my mouth drop, fisting my wooden stakes, and stepped back a bit. No. No way, this was–no way–

"Natsu?" I called, watching him come out from the dark.

Along with Erza, and Gray, and…everyone else in Fairy Tail?

"Damn Gajeel, I told you not to touch her, what did I say?" Natsu snapped, glaring at him.

The kidnapper just rolled his eyes, holding one of his arms tenderly, "You said to not hurt her, I didn't. How else was I supposed to scare her so much?"

I switched my eyes to Erza stepping up, crossing her arms casually, "Yelling would have sufficed."

"Yeah, you're face is enough to scare the shit outta her. Why do you think we picked you?" Gray added, raising a brow.

He only gave a hollow look, shrugging his arms, "Just wanted to make it realistic…"

"You call that realistic? Really? Have you even been captured before, or…?" Gray narrowed his eyes at him, annoyed, and Gajeel, shot him back the same look.

"Yeah, actually, that one time–"

"Uh excuse me?" I squeaked out, my voice cracking shrilly. I heaved out a breath, the throbbing pain returning as everyone turned to look back at me, and me at them. I switched my eyes between the dozens of eyes, unable to even close my _goddamn mouth._

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" I screamed.

My head was literally about to _ e_ all over these people, what the hell was going on?

"It's alright Lucy," Natsu suddenly said, grabbing my attention. He stepped up to me a bit, holding out a hand for me, "You're okay."

I stared into his eyes, still holding onto the wooden arm rests, and let my gaze fall back to my kidnapper, _Gajeel_, apparently. He merely gazed at me, casually, and I saw him make no effort to even move from his spot. This didn't make any sense, he was just about to _rip_ my teeth out two minutes ago, why was he suddenly not angry anymore?

"Natsu," I said, feeling him hold my arms. I switched my eyes back into his, a timid look of caution floating behind them, "Tell me what is going on." he opened his mouth, "Right now."

He nodded shortly, "Okay. First of all though, I just wanna say that that trick was really cool and thank you for headbutting that metal freak, you're kind of like my hero now–and also, I told everyone that I taught you that move so play along."

"_Natsu_," my voice quivered, whether because of the boiling rage bubbling up inside me or the overwhelming confusion trying to take over my brain, I was one second away from _snapping_, and if this idiot didn't tell me what was happening _right now_–

"Congratulations Lucy!" Mira suddenly cheered, smiling at me graciously, "You passed the test!"

I stared at her, blankly, and she merely clasped her hands, Erza coming up beside her.

"_Test?_" I echoed, my voice strained. They did not just say _test_, they did _not_–

"With flying colors might I add," Erza sighed out, pleased, "I'm impressed really, you held your ground and risked very intense pain to keep Fairy Tail secret. We didn't know if we could trust you, but this, now, just proves us all wrong. Isn't that great?"

A few distant claps made it out from the crowd, and I could honestly only gape at them. They set this up, _they_ set this up, to what? Scare the _shit_ out of me and see if I would squeal?

"You planned this? This was all a rouse, all of it," I said lowly, turning back to Natsu, "All of this was planned. Because…you didn't trust me. To keep your little secret."

He kept his lips shut, his eyes widening towards me, then switching to the side. He let out a laugh, scratching his hair, and I only intensified my look. "Well…"

I waited as he took a minute to think, glancing back over to Erza and Gray, "It was their fault!"

"_What?_"

"Excuse me?"

"You were the ones who kept saying you didn't trust her! You nagged me _every_ day about her, if anyone's at fault here it's them!" he pointed a finger at them, staring at me expectantly.

"This was _your_ idea!" Gray yelled, Natsu whipping over to glare at him.

I felt that tiny little bud of anger **burst** open inside me at that moment, shooting my gaze back to Natsu. "_You_ planned this?!"

He raised his hands at me, a flicker of fear in his eyes, "I had to prove to them you were trustworthy somehow! Nothing was gonna happen, I _told_ Gajeel not to touch you, just scare you a bit!"

"A _bit?_" I screeched, "He had a pair of _pliers_ in my _mouth_, do you not realize how _terrifying_ that is?!"

He jumped back as I stepped forward, his mouth twisted shut in the _stupid_ way he did when I yelled at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you people! Who does that to a person, oh my _god!_" I yelled, absolutely _disgusted_ at these savages.

"I knew you could handle it, nothing was gonna happen!" Natsu defended quickly.

"_Well I didn't know that!_" I stomped my foot, glaring daggers into him, "God, just, how could you? _You!_"

He frowned at that, looking timid, and honestly nothing made me angrier than that stupidly _innocent_ 'puppy dog' look he always gave me, I just wanted to rip his _pink little head off so bad_.

"I'm your friend, your _best friend_, you said it yourself!" I growled.

"Well..you are–"

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU PLAN THIS OUT!" I shrieked. He jumped back at that, his eyes growing wide as I stomped forward.

"After all the complete _bullshit_ you dragged me through, the assassin, the murder, having my door kicked down and _kidnapped_, _and_ not to mention being interrogated for _hours_ on end in some weird as hell underground facility, you really think you have the right to call yourself my friend? And even now!" I gave a shrill laugh, "_Now_, you have me kidnapped again, to make me think I was going to be TORTURED? WITH PLIERS? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

I had taken towering steps towards him with every word, his figure practically shrinking below me in a silent plea for help. I grabbed at my hair, fisting it in my hands tightly and really focused on trying not to _rip it_ out of my goddamn head.

"Hey, c'mon," he shrugged weakly, swallowing a failed attempt of a smile, "Those things were kinda fun.."

I stopped to stare at him. No, _hell_ no, he did not just say–

"You did not just say that," I whispered, shaking my head, "You did _not_ just say that."

He shook his head, "I didn't say that, I–"

"_Fun?_" I shouted, "Fun?!"

I let out some animalistic growl, my mind literally unable to _comprehend _how much of an _idiot _this guy was! I couldn't believe I liked him, _how_ did I like him, I can barely even stand his actual _presence_ right now. I gritted my teeth, having to _really_ hold myself back from clocking him in his goddamn _jaw_.

I couldn't though. I couldn't stop myself, him and his _stupid_ eyes and his _stupid_ grin and his _stupid _face, I couldn't stand it. I cocked my arm back and flew my fist right at him, but he sidestepped at the last possible second, and left me to hit nothing but air.

I stumbled a few steps, whipping back around to him holding his hands up to me. "C'mon Lucy, don't be like this."

Oh don't _patronize_ me you prick.

I raised my arm again and sent another fist for the jaw that I so _desperately_ wanted to _break_. He ducked out of my way again, sending me staggering a few steps with a frustrated grunt.

"God! Would you just–!"

I threw another punch that he evaded with a simple turn of his neck, and I turned back with my other fist, but he wasn't even beside me anymore.

"Lucy, c'mon," he sighed out, giving me a sympathetic look at my enraged one. "Just chill out, will ya?"

"No!" I yelled, missing his face again.

We went at that for a while and I could _literally_ feel my head going into overdrive. He just kept _moving_ and _ducking_ and making me look essentially pathetic, which he obviously couldn't see was making me _angrier_. I just wanted to bash his face in, why wouldn't he let me do that?

"Gah! _God!_" I shrieked out, finally stomping my foot and giving it a rest. I clenched my hands at him like I was going to choke him, but I resisted even trying because I knew that this _asshole_ was just going to sneak out of my reach again.

"Let me hit you, you ass!" I shouted.

"You know any other day I wouldn't mind fighting you but I'm not sure this is how I want it to go down," He creased me a look, drifting off.

I stepped up to him, my chest heaving and out of breath, and I just stared at him. I couldn't think of what else to do, if I tried any form of attack he could easily just evade and it was _torturing_ me. And then he had the nerve to say 'any other day I wouldn't mind'? What, was he fantasizing about having a fight with me?

UGH, he made no sense. None at all.

"You know I thought you were you pretty honest and blunt, you know? You spoke your mind and reading you was pretty easy, but now that I have actually gotten inside your little _mess_ of a brain, I can really see how much of a _manipulative_ prick you are." I snapped.

"Manipulative?" he scoffed a laugh, "What exactly did I manipulate?"

"_Me!_" I yelled, "Ever since I met you, all you have done is drag me around into all of your crazy _shenanigans_ and I have been up the _damn _wall with them! Do you know how stressed I am right now?! I haven't had more than four hours of sleep in over five days, I can't lock my door anymore because it was bashed to the _goddamned ground_, and that doesn't exactly sit all that well with me after I meet your little posse of _assassin_ friends and THIS IS ALL SUCH BULLSHIT!"

"Well sorry if this is a little much for you Lucy!" He shouted right back, that stupid easygoing aura still floating around him like a fog I was _choking _in.

"To be fair, this is all kind of on you." He shrugged, dumbly, "I mean, I'm not the one who came to you asking if you wanted in on my life, _you_ came to _me_."

I stared at him for a longer while, and even tilted my head a bit. I couldn't comprehend this, I really couldn't. He wasn't blaming me for this, he was _not_ blaming me for this. He honestly doesn't think that this was the only way to let me in on what he does, he can't, he _can't _be this stupid.

He only seemed pleased at my pause, raising a victorious shoulder at me, and a little smirk on his lips. A little…smug…smirk.

I dragged my tongue against my teeth, heaving heavily in a desperate attempt to keep myself from _pouncing _on him like a lion. He let out a laugh, and I took that fraction of a second to cock my arm back and let that simmering rage just _burst_ out of me like a faucet.

My knuckles connected snugly with his nose, and I felt a stabbing pain shoot up my hand and sting my wrist, us both _yelling_ out into the barren warehouse.

A variety of "ooo's" echoed from the crowd around us, Natsu stumbling back and clutching his nose tightly.

"God, _shit!_" I hissed out, waving my hand back and forth, "How do you _do_ that?"

That hurt like hell, what the–how does someone send like fourteen punches in one round?

I cradled my hand as Natsu composed himself, blinking heavily and and sniffing his nose loudly. He let go of it, and as much as I wanted to see blood gushing out, this was real life and I have never punched anyone before, so it was merely a little red. It didn't even seem to faze him, his eyes just fell on me again with an indifferent expression.

"Alright," he sniffed his nose again, "I deserved that."

A scoffed in agreement. Pretty damn obvious on that part, don't you think?

I sighed out at him, the throbbing in my hand settling slowly, and I just took a second to gather all my thoughts again. That punch could've of been better, but I was satisfied. I never really liked getting all that mad anyways, but damn was he just pushing it. I was over it now, and holy _shit_ did I need a god damn _nap_. I was literally twitching in my place, I have _never_ been so stressed out in my_life_.

"So…" Erza spoke up, quietly, "I guess now–"

"Now?" I nearly laughed, cutting her off, "No no, here's what's going to happen okay?"

Everyone quieted down as I held up a finger, moving from her back to Natsu starting towards me again. He stopped on his toes, looking confused and slightly concerned at the look in my eye.

"I am going to go take a five hour bubble bath, with candles and music and _lots_ of bubbles," I narrowed my eyes at him, turning on my heel towards the door.

I passed by everyone on my way out, shaking off the remnants of my rope restraints and tossing them aside, "I don't want anyone kicking down my door, _kidnapping_ me off the street, or showing up at my _job_ to drag me back to their secret base. No one bother me, if I so much get a _knock_ on my door, I will personally adopt a new dog just so I can train it to attack you."

Apart from my own footsteps I heard another pair, and I have no idea why I could tell whose they were.

"And _don't_ follow me." I said, sharply.

Natsu's footsteps stopped, and I heard some mumbling come from behind me soon afterwards.

I huffed and shoved the door open, the sun blinding me in my place. Great. It was daytime. And I had work.

* * *

Okay I skipped work. I wasn't about to have four hours for myself to completely regenerate and have to go back and fall asleep on a dead body.

I, instead, fell asleep in my bathtub, up to my nose in bubbles and utter _solitude_.

I think I even fell asleep for an hour or two, it was _that_ nice. I almost drowned at one point, but it was still worth it.

And a loud crash nearly made me drown again. I whipped up in my seat, shocked awake at something stomping outside my door.

Oh what _now?_ What, was some terrorist in my house? Did someone drop dead on my floor? Another assassin coming to kill me now?

Could I not just have one day? One measly little day?

I grabbed a towel and cracked the door open, stepping out hesitantly from behind it. Please don't let anyone pop out, please don't let anyone pop out.

I stopped behind my couch and looked around, but nothing seemed to be here. Huh. That was weird.

It was kind of sad how I didn't even feel that scared anymore. Like honestly, what else could happen today? I would be grabbing the baseball bat underneath my bed usually if I heard someone_in_ my house, but now? Hah. Funny.

I felt a cold breeze on my back, grimacing at it and tugging on my towel. What? Why was my window open?

"Lucy! There you are!" Natsu's voice rang out.

I jumped at that, whipping around to him coming out of my kitchen, _chewing_ on something. I gaped at him, and his giant smile.

Did he not understand the meaning of '_no one bother me?_'

"Natsu," I hissed, pointing to my room window, "Did you just break into my house?"

He shrugged at that, swallowing whatever he had eaten, "No. It was open. You know you really should lock your windows, someone creepy could come in and you wouldn't of even known."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Okay he was right, but it didn't make me any less pissed. "Why are you here? I told you I didn't want to see you, I'm still mad." I put my hands on my hips, trying to give him my best glare, but it was probably more like an angry pout.

"I know," he suddenly said, his tone guilt ridden. "That's why…"

He pulled something out of a plastic bag, offering it to me with a gaze of hope written in his eyes, "I gotcha something."

I eased up my gaze at him, switching my eyes down to the bag he held up for me. Chocolates. The same ones that I dropped when I was abducted.

I smiled, gradually, and saw him do the same. Though, a bit more proudly than me. I wanted to keep being mad at him, I mean I thought I needed at least a few days to forgive him, but…

These chocolates tasted _really_ good. And they were expensive as hell.

"Aw," I caved, grinning stupidly and clutching the bag, "You know me so well."

His grin widened at that, happily, and his eyes lit up suddenly, "Great! Hey c'mon back with me to the base, everyone feels really bad for stressing you out so bad."

I rolled my eyes at that, but he spoke up before I could, "Really, Mira and Erza said they insisted."

I kept quiet for a moment, wondering if I really wanted to go back already. It hasn't even been a full day, but I could feel my defenses weakening as Natsu looked at me like a hopeful puppy. Damn. It was like he knew I found him utterly adorable.

And he did give me chocolates…

"Fine," I sighed, rolling my eyes. He cheered at that, another grin growing on his lips and I saw him immediately dart towards the window he came in.

"Alright! Let's go!" He pointed behind himself, waving a hand at me.

I scoffed at that, gesturing his view down to the _towel_ I was wearing, "Uh, wanna give me a minute?"

He sighed out impatiently, pursing his lips, "You're always slow."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Now really wasn't the time to be_ pressing your luck_, sir.

"Just meet us all there okay?" he smiled in reply, stepping out onto the fire escape that he apparently jumped down from?

"Hurry up!"

I only managed to scoff before his body turned into a pink blur, jumping over the rail–wait, the railing? On the fifth floor?

I ran towards the window and heard the old metal creak more, but by the time I looked over he was hanging onto a single beam, before dropping to his feet. Did he really just scale a building? Like it was nothing? Wow am I glad to have him on my side.

I got dressed and headed back towards the base, not expecting a whole lot, but it seems like everyone else had a different idea.

And it also seemed like I missed it…

The hall everyone usually hung out in was completely trashed. There was food and cups and bottles everywhere, yet barely anyone was here anymore? A few stragglers still sat around chatting, but other than that the place seemed desolate. So much for insisting my return, huh?

I didn't see Natsu anywhere, so I went over to see what kind of drinks were left at the table. Probably nothing I liked, but I can say that something did catch my eye. I stopped on my feet.

_Wow_ did I not see that coming.

Levy? Cute little geeky Levy and _him?_ Really?

I tried to swallow the distaste in my mouth, but I remembered sorely that it was all an act. Yeah, that's right. The guy who kidnapped and pretended to torture me was dating the dorkiest girl I've pretty much ever met. That makes sense.

She was perched up in his lap on an old sofa, giggling about something as he was too busy trying to sleep. It looked like she was bugging him purposely, and he was too much of a softie for her to do anything about it.

I couldn't help but smile. That was…actually kind of cute.

"Oh Lucy, hey!" Levy suddenly spoke, waving a hand at me.

Gajeel's eyes opened up at that, and I made the effort to finish making my way up to the two.

"Bunny girl," he greeted, a tired grin on his lips, "Surprised to see you back here so soon."

I gave an quick smile at that, his eyes gleaming in amusement. "Yeah well, not all that great with grudges I guess."

He sat up and let Levy sit next to him, and I was surprised enough to see a hand held out towards me.

"Sorry about before. Didn't mean to scare you that much, just following orders."

I eased a bit towards him, that little pit of distaste I had for him lifting up. I took his hand and shook it, offering a smile both to him, and a giddy Levy watching us both.

"It's alright. Just…don't do it again." I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

He let out a hearty chuckle, and I laughed along awkwardly, waiting for a legit answer.

"_Right._" he snickered.

I kept my weary smile up, unsure of his answer and watched as he leaned back to close his eyes again. I don't get it, was that sarcasm? Or a joke? _Jesus_ these people were weird.

I waved my goodbyes to the pair and went to grab that drink, grimacing at it bitterly. Ew, was this whiskey? In a giant sports cooler? Are you kidding?

"Yeah, I wouldn't drink that. Days old, probably."

I spit the drink out into my cup at that, licking my lips slowly and putting it down. Gray came up to me at that, and I think I saw a hint of a smile cross his lips because of it. Wow, an almost smile. What a rare occasion.

He grabbed a drink despite his own warning and leaned against the table next to me, taking a long sip. I didn't really know what to say, I mean what could I? Our last encounter kind of had him threatening to blow my brains out, I wouldn't exactly put him on my buddy list. Though, he and Natsu seemed to be, well…they seem like they knew each other well, let's put it like that. Other than that I don't really have an opinion of him except that he_ really_ cares a lot about his job.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you would bring this up and start yelling at me or something, but I guess you're feeling quiet today so I'll do it," He suddenly spoke up, keeping his gaze to the floor.

I raised an eyebrow at that, and I saw a mixture of different expressions cross his face, yet nothing made it out of his mouth. Yikes. Was this about the gun thing? Oh god, was he trying to _apologize?_

"You know, uh–it's…"

I watched painfully as he tried to weed through his thoughts, and I can honestly say that I don't think he's ever had to apologize to someone before. Because this was pathetic.

"Sorry," he finally spit out, a harsh crease in his eyebrow, "About the uh, breaking in and manhandling…and stuff."

I nodded to that, giving an amused grin to his uncomfortable one, "And the death threat? With the loaded gun to my head?"

I offered him that same grin, and he merely nodded in reply, puffing up his cheeks, "Yeah, that too."

"I wouldn't of done it," he said right after himself, giving me a hopeful glance with a shrug, "It was just a scare tactic you know? You and Natsu were close, I–well, I'm not that heartless."

I laughed a bit at that. So if I hadn't of known Natsu, my head would be splattered all over my wall now? That's nice.

"It's okay, I get it." I waved him of ease, "You were just protecting your friends, I understand."

He actually smiled at me then, but he covered it up pretty quickly, "Thanks. I just wanted to make sure we were…"

I struggled down a smile.

"On good terms…" he finished.

I took a chip out from a bowl next to him, giving a ringing laugh, "_Yeah._"

He could tell I was making fun of him, and while I don't think he appreciated it, he didn't say anything about it. He definitely didn't like tense conversations, and it was actually sort of fun to see him squirm like this.

"Looks pretty nasty." I commented, glancing down to his waist.

His shirt had ridden up a bit from the table, and he followed my gaze knowingly. A giant scar crossed along his hip, yet he simply shrugged it off like no big deal.

"An old one. Looks worse than it hurt." he said, that smug undertone failing to seem all that casual. I raised a challenging eyebrow at that then, my struggle to hold down a grin making it turn into a smirk. Was he actually trying to _impress_ me right now?

Oh how adorable.

"Looks pretty bad," I replied back, a gleam in my eye.

I think he could tell what I was thinking, because he sent my look straight back at me.

"It's the scars you can't see that hurt you the most. The physical ones never really compare."

I saw Natsu finally make his way in from the corner of my eye, and yet I couldn't help but notice the grimace in his expression as his eyes fell on us.

"Hm. Well said." I complimented.

His smirk turned crooked as he looked away from me, and I watched as it all immediately fell at the sight of my neighbor.

"Gray, leave her alone before you end up scaring her off again." Natsu snapped, crossing his arms with a huff.

I mentally creased an eyebrow at that, I don't run off that easily…

"Hey, we were having a nice talk actually," he glowered at him, but still stood up, "But whatever. I gotta check how Erza is doing anyways."

Gray strolled off and left me and Natsu, and I wondered then what Erza was up to. Actually, what everyone was up to, literally no one was here.

"So what's going on?" I asked him, his gaze immediately lightening up at me.

"I dunno, no has told me anything yet." he shrugged cluelessly.

"Well–"

"HEY! WE GOT A BOMBING!"

Gray's voice rang out with that, and I felt a shiver crawl down my spine as everyone fled the room._A bomb?_ I followed behind Natsu as everyone went to the giant screen in the communications room, and I can honestly say how horrible it looked to see _that _much fire come out of one building.

"Where is that?" Natsu asked, looking over Levy's shoulder to her computer.

"Oh my god," she breathed, "That's the courthouse."

She stared up to the bright flames scattering across all the screens, her voice quieting down into a hush, "The mayor was inside."

The mayor? Our mayor? He was…murdered? He was _blown up?_ Who would do that, why…that was absolutely terrible…why would someone do that? He was such an innocent little guy, I didn't understand.

"_Zeref._"

I looked over to Natsu baring his teeth behind his lips. He glared dangerously at the screen, and I don't think I've ever witnessed him look that angry before. It was..scary.

His knuckles had turned white from clenching the back of Levy's chair so tightly, and I saw a furious fire raging in his eyes.

I think I was finally starting to see the side of him that made him what he was now. And as much as I didn't want to see that side, I had to eventually. And some part of me deep inside just wanted to understand how such a giant grin goofy grin could turn into such a hateful, bloody glare. I didn't like seeing that, though I knew I could understand as to why.

"Where is Erza? Wake everyone up, get someone over there! We're not losing him!" Gray barked that order, and most of whoever was here scurried to place phone calls out.

Levy sat on the phone for less than a minute, listening carefully, before Gray asked her what was happening.

"Levy! Talk to me! What's going on!" Gray went by her side, her expression creased in a way that none of us liked.

"Don't tell me we lost him, _Levy_–"

"We didn't."

Everyone went quiet after that, intensely, and she finally put the phone down, her eyes wide and gleaming.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"We caught him…" she breathed out, "We…caught Zeref."

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**Cliffy! I had a bit of a rough time with Lucy's breakdown, but it was still so much fun. the story is moving along, so it'll actually get a little more dramatic than humorous for a chapter or two, but you know me :) I can always squeeze in something funny**

**Review! Lemme know what you think's gonna happen!**


	34. Happy Birthday Gray!

**Happy Birthday Gray**

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I was never really one for birthday's. I didn't like the dozens of eyes on me and the loud singing and all the pestering that came along with it, but with a family like Fairy Tail, this sort of celebration wasn't anything you could skip out on. You mention it once and all the sudden balloons are everywhere, cake mix is being bought, and you have a neatly written card inviting you to_'Gray's Birthday Bash!'_ the next day.

It just wasn't really my style. People spent all kinds of money and energy and time on presents and if I was being honest, I didn't feel like I deserved them. At least, not dozens of them. I couldn't help but succumb to the little smile Mira would give me when I glanced to her though. I smiled. What can I say, I loved these idiots.

"Okay! Mine next!"

"No mine!"

"Move it!"

It was always a competition. Sometimes I wondered if they cared more about getting the best present instead of actually caring for my birthday. Whatever though, they meant well.

"No! No one else!" I heard a familiar voice ring through the crowd, splitting it straight down the middle like the Red Sea. Juvia emerged then, the slight huff on her lips curling up into a sweet little smile, and stepped up to me with a neatly wrapped box. "It is Juvia's turn?"

I offered her a lift of my lips, accepting her present and opened it to see a giant, furry winter jacket. I lifted it up and saw a custom made Fairy Tail emblem stitched over the heart. It was plain and simple and…I was actually surprised by how much I liked it.

Granted though, she had yet to still grasp the concept that I was an _ice mage_ with a _stripping habit_, but the thought behind it was still nice enough. It was even in my favorite color: army green.

"Juvia stitched it herself," her voice brought our eyes to meet, "I was hoping this might have been better than the scarf…"

I nearly laughed at that certain incident, and she immediately blushed as I dared hold her gaze. "I like it, I really do. You seem to know your way around presents."

She got all girlish then, a flustered twiddle in her fingers and a slight sway on her feet, "_Yeah well_, only for you, Gray. Even you get cold sometimes."

I smirked at her sly comment, resisting a roll of my eyes. "Thanks Juvia–"

I didn't even get to finish before a loud mass of people cut us both off in another frenzy about presents. Mira pushed her way through then, shushing everyone with a little help of Erza smashing a hole in the ground with her foot, and smiled brightly. "Okay okay, everyone settle down. Before we get too carried away here, has anyone seen Natsu?"

We all looked around, and I wasn't even surprised or disappointed that that idiot was nowhere to be found. Even Happy was here for Christ's sake. He got me a fish, to say needlessly.

"Or Lucy for that matter?" Lisanna added, right next to her sister.

The guild got strangely quiet then. It was one thing for Natsu to be out and missing, but Lucy? Especially on my birthday? She had come up to me so many times before bragging about how amazing her present was, and she wasn't even here.

I bet the idiot did something to her. I swear, those two will be the death of me, themselves, and everyone else on this god forsaken planet.

Right on that mark though, as a brief moment of soft murmuring and mumbling drifted through the air, all our attention whipped towards the guild doors as they were literally _smashed_ open.

Lucy stood there in all her glory, her chest heaving and breath ragged as if she had just ran here all the way from her house, and held up something tiny in her hand. She was slick with sweat and her hair was a little messy, but she had the biggest, happiest grin on her face as she looked like she just won the battle of her life.

"GRAY! I HAVE YOUR PRESENT!"

I grimaced at her, but before the poor girl could even step another foot in the building something smashed _straight_ into her.

"NO YOU DON'T!"

And that something was Natsu.

He came at her full force from behind, a shriek sounding through the guild hall as he snatched her up in his arms. Lucy immediately curled into her stomach, holding onto my present like her life depended on it and was lifted up into the air by a very pissed off Natsu.

Now this caught my interest.

Everyone slowly made their way to the pair, keeping a safe distance as they literally _wrestled_ for the tiny device, and watched with a peculiar sense of amusement. Lucy was laughing hysterically now, twisting and turning all around in Natsu's arms as he tried snatching for whatever she had, and in between her desperate attempts for a breath she tossed me her present.

"Play it! Play it!" she begged, Natsu yanking her back a second too late before I caught it.

"NO! Gray give me that!" Natsu hissed, shoving Lucy aside and storming up to me now.

I didn't realize I was grinning so big until he attempted feebly to take the device back. It was a camera, actually, and Lucy was hopping on his back to keep him at bay for as long as she could, the smile she had nearly splitting her face in half. Oh this had to be _good_.

I turned quickly before Natsu could tackle me and tossed Mira the camera, "Hurry! Put it in the lacrima!"

Natsu's face drained completely of color, "NO!"

Lucy's arm was slung around his shoulders then, a twisted smirk in her smile and she giggled next to him deviously. "Gray, you are going to love me for eternity after this."

Juvia protested beside me, something about a love rival, but I was too eager to see this video to even register it. If it had Natsu in this much of a panic, _god_ I could only imagine was beautiful bliss this video had to of held.

I slung my arm around Juvia then and sat back to watch as the lacrima rock projected on the back wall of the guild. She was staring at me, but I nodded her attention towards Lucy now up on the big screen. Everyone seemed completely captivated then, except for Natsu, who seemed to have reluctantly given up at this point.

Lucy looked a hell of a lot better in the video than she did now. She had it aimed at herself while at her bathroom it seemed. It was dark outside, so I guess it was nighttime. Maybe she filmed this last night or something.

"Okay Gray, if you are watching this now this means that I have successfully made it to your party, and Natsu hasn't either found me or killed me yet."

She was whispering oddly enough, but I found myself completely entranced.

"What I am about to do is incredibly dangerous, and I am saying it now that I'm doing this for your birthday Gray. I'm putting myself at serious risk here, so this better be worth it," she sighed out, a meek smile on her lips. She glanced out of the doorway warily and looked back to the lens, "I just got Natsu to play this new game I found at a magic shop. He's completely hypnotized by this thing, which is the magic part obviously, so he won't even see this coming."

Lucy held up a mask then, and it was downright the ugliest, most gruesome thing I had ever seen. It was some mix between a baboon and an Orc with twice as much hair and fake blood. She smirked in the camera as if she could see my gaping grin right now. "Happy Birthday Gray."

I sat forward, eagerly awaiting what I knew was about to be one of the best things I would ever witness, and heard a low murmur of bickering behind me of the pair. Lucy crept out of the bathroom in the video, keeping light on her feet and slowly made her way towards her living room. It was hard to see for a moment, she had all the lights turned off in her place, so it was pitch black. A light popped up though, and I recognized it as her TV with some scary game playing on it.

Lucy quirked an eyebrow then and slid on her mask, turning the camera to find Natsu sitting on her couch lazily, his eyes glued to the screen and his fingers mashing the buttons to his controller. I was surprised to see her able to sneak up on him like she did, considering his dragon senses or whatever, but I guess that magic game really did captivate him. Or slowed his senses, or something. He wasn't even noticing her crawling right behind him.

I waited eagerly, impatiently, as she hovered her face right by his ear. She waited until the spiky furs of her mask pricked his skin, snapping him out of his trance enough to turn his ear right into her mouth.

Lucy let out an incredible, _piercing_, shrieking _wail_ then, and I completely _lost_ it.

He _screamed_. Not even, he _shrieked_. For like a whole ten seconds he screamed and thrashed and _I have never laughed at anything so hard_. His eyes literally _bugged_ out of his head at the sight of her and his voice cracked into the most _girly_, whiny screech known to man. His limbs whipped around like he had some spasm attack and literally broke her _endtable_ trying to run away. He didn't even fight back, he just ran!

With that and a loud crash later of a broken lamp, he saw Lucy take her mask off, the _dorkiest_laugh drumming out of her throat. He collapsed into a pathetic heap on the ground, groaning out loudly and curling himself into a _ball_.

"_Why_–Why would you do that," he moaned, dragging his hands through his hair, "Why would you do that? I'm–I'm…why can't I remember what I was doing? Oh my god I'm dying."

Lucy was too busy cracking up to offer any sympathies. She came over in a stumble and sniffed her nose finally, catching a breath to breathe and talk. She still giggled uncontrollably, but I saw her free hand come out and rub his shoulder, "Oh–Oh, are you okay?"

There was no empathy anywhere in her tone. Natsu just slapped her hand away blindly, forcing another laugh to come out of her as she crumbled to the floor beside him. Natsu sat himself up then, his head still buried in his hands as he moaned continuously. Lucy, with trembling hands, tore his palm away from his cheek and lo and behold:

"Natsu…are you crying?"

He was _crying_. Like actual tears were falling down his pinched red face with a deep frown on his lips.

I fell against the bar dying then. I gripped my chest to keep myself from suffocating, but I was 1000% sure this was going to be the death of me. And I would not mind in the least.

The idiot actually _cried_. This was the same man who destroyed armies and cities on a daily basis, and he was crying because of a _prank_.

I was on the verge of tears myself. As was the rest of the guild.

"W-Wait Lucy…what is that?" Natsu's voice on the video echoed out, "Is that a camera?"

Lucy's started dying again, both here and on the footage. She held the camera up to zoom in on Natsu's puffy cheeks and his eyes bugged out again, "What the hell Lucy! Give me that!"

And thus began the race for my present. A damn fine one, if I could say myself.

Lucy shrieked out as she ran away from Natsu in her house, and it cut off with a final 'happy birthday' message. Everyone was still cracking up, and I was sure two or three had already perished and fallen to the ground.

"Lucy come here," I wiped a tear away as I turned back to her, "You deserve a hug."

Lucy got up in a jumpy excitement, but Natsu yanked her back before she could even step a foot away. He growled lowly as he jumped up to his feet, "No way! She deserves nothing! That was plain cruel and she's going to pay for it–ALL OF YOU WILL PAY FOR IT!"

Everyone just cracked up harder at this. Lucy turned to her best friend then and drawled out an, "Aww. It's okay Natsu, it was just a prank."

He turned to square their shoulders up then, an unnerving huff exhaled in her face. He lowered his face down to hers, piercing his orbs straight into hers. "You're going to regret this."

Lucy held up her chin smugly, "Don't be such a _baby_."

I burst out laughing again at that and Natsu fumed at her. She simply turned to me then, bumping her hip with his as he practically stood there, his feet on fire and eyes raging as he tried to figure out a way to comprehend this. She folded her arms across her chest then, "What did I say? Best present ever."

I nodded fully in agreement, "It's definitely up there."

Lucy smirked at this, spinning around to face the entire guild and cupped her hands around her mouth, "And the best part is–I HAVE COPIES! WE CAN WATCH IT WHENEVER WE WANT!"

Everyone _roared_ out into applause, Natsu crumbling again and slumping to the floor with a groan. I came up to him and crouched by his side, an amused flicker in my eyes, "Don't get too upset by this Natsu. I know lots of yelling really _scares_ you."

He stared at me like I had just killed a newborn then and I busted out laughing again. It got cut off right as he tackled me and the rest of that day was pretty much a blur. All I remember afterwords was Juvia fretting about the multiple scorch marks I had all over my skin as she bandaged me up. I didn't mind though, I was too much in a bliss to think of anything else but that video.

Best birthday _ever_.

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**I've wanted to do all these cute drabbles with Gray being more inclusive (i love him), but I had never gotten around to them. This was one of my favorites, so here you go :) **

**Hope you liked it, review?**


	35. Swift

**Swift**

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"Natsu will you hurry up?"

Lucy's bitter tone caused Natsu to look up to her with a timid twist of his lips, she had her arms crossed and her toes tapped impatiently on the sidewalk as a number of people pushed and shoved past her. Lucy was never one for crowds.

"I was checking out this thing, what do you think it is?" Natsu asked, and held up some twine wrapped in stick with an unusual symbol on the tip.

Lucy arched an eyebrow at him. "A carpet beater?"

Natsu gazed at the contraction warily, and twisted it around in his hold. "It looks like one of those sticks Mystogan had, don't you think? Hey, maybe I can cast a spell with this! It could be like one of your keys!"

Lucy watched as Natsu swung the stick around and made several explosion/raspberry noises spill out of his lips. He flung the symbolized tip at Lucy, and she merely flinched with a step back. The carpet beater was yanked from his grip then and roughly smashed on top of his head.

"Quit playing with my merchandise! Either you buy it or you go!" an old woman hissed, the stick angrily shaken at Natsu's glare.

Lucy's frown that had seemed to been lasting throughout the whole day finally lifted at that, and a small giggle escaped her lips as Natsu muttered something very ungentlemanly about the woman. The saleswoman gently placed her item back down in the mass of others on her fold-able table and shooed them both away, accusing them of repelling her business.

It wasn't every day Magnolia had a flea market, yet the few times there were, well, Lucy could see why it wasn't popular. There was junk everyone, annoyed, weird people trying to sell things that were questionable, and the clients they attracted were barely above the line of savages, in Lucy's eyes. She wished Magnolia's flee markets could be at least a little nicer, like the ones she used to escape to when she was out shopping with her father at a young age. He never liked her going to these things, but Lucy found it oddly comforting to be surrounded by such nice, homemade items.

This type of market is where she drew the line though. It was nothing like how she remembered them to be.

"Are you all done? I was hoping to find Happy and maybe do some work in the next town over," Lucy sighed, and glanced back to Natsu being distracted by yet another item.

He shrugged at that casually and strolled over by her side, "I guess. Kinda wanted to get something for him here though, he's been a super nice to me lately and I don't know why."

Lucy hummed at this, "Just get him a fish. That always seems to work."

Natsu nodded, but he didn't seem convinced at that suggestion, "Maybe."

Lucy and Natsu continued to walk through the streets as an insufferable amount of people littered it. The vendors were thrown all over, everyone was littering, the place truly was a nightmare. Lucy thought most of these thoughts with a slight shiver of repulsion as a number of greasy looking men made eyes at her. She stepped closer to Natsu subconsciously.

"What's with the people here," she muttered, mostly to herself.

Natsu heard this and took a moment to actually study who she had referenced to, a slight crease in his expression, "I dunno. Oh! Fish!"

Natsu darted away from Lucy and headed straight towards a vendor selling fish. He cooked the meat right there in front of you, which had ultimately entranced Natsu with the heavenly smell. Lucy sighed and waited again as he bought a few fish and stuffed them in his bag, presumably for Happy. He kept one out though and perched it on a stick to eat like a kebab.

"Want a bite?" he grinned, his cheeks stuffed full as he stuck the stick in Lucy's unprepared face.

Lucy, who had been daydreaming, shrieked at the gooey eyeball of the fish a mere inch away from her. She stumbled back on her feet with a disgusted hiss and felt herself bump straight into something hard.

"Hey sweet cheeks," a raspy voice drifted into her ear. Lucy turned and circled around the man she had apparently stumbled into, and she felt an automatic apology start to slip off her lips. She cut herself off though as she felt a hand grab her ass roughly and give it a harsh slap.

"Watch where you're goin, eh?" he chuckled, a flirty twinkle in his eye.

Lucy felt a pulse of disgust crawl up her spine at this, and scoffed out loudly. She shoved the brick wall of a man and made him step back a touch, and felt fury begin to flood her veins.

"What the hell!"

Natsu automatically came up beside Lucy at her sudden yell, and shoved his way in between her and the man who had turned to laugh with his friend. He knew if Lucy was pissed, then he should be _beyond _pissed.

"The hell you think you're doing?" Natsu growled out, shoving the guy harshly with his one free hand.

The man turned to face Natsu then and squared up their shoulders. He was easily two feet higher than Natsu, and twice as ugly. Old scars painted his face and his arms were more beefed up than Elfman's, which, was really saying something. His lips split open to show the black hole where his teeth was supposed to be, and a gruesome grimace splayed on his face with an angered tick in his eye.

"Did you just _shove_ me, pinkey?" he asked, his voice low and threatening.

Natsu weighed his options here. He was currently drained of his magic, considering he and Lucy decided to stop at this market after a long, hard mission, he was carrying Happy's very special present that could easily be destroyed, and this guy had at least four other men backing him up. On the other hand, he was the Salamander and nothing could ever beat him, he still had more money for fish, and _duh_, he couldn't just let the douche get away with touching _Lucy _like that.

Natsu thought this for a moment too long, apparently, and he subconsciously cowered away from the man to think in peace. Lucy's shrill frustrated grunt snapped him out of his stupor, and he watched happily as she took a swift kick to the back of his knee.

That gorilla was literally laying at her feet now.

Her boot dug into his groin then, a ferocious fire blazing in her eyes like how she got when Natsu walked in on her showering. She leaned over to the man now, who was undoubtedly about to cry as he feebly reached for his groin, and bore her eyes into his.

"Touch me like that again and I will _blind_ you, got it?" she seethed, twisting her boot harshly.

Natsu visibly grimaced at that, he could feel the pain from where he was standing.

"Y-Yes! Okay okay! I'm sorry!" he spat out, and Lucy let up on him with a tired huff.

She composed herself then, brushed her hair back and flattened out her skirt, and switched her eyes back to her partner. Natsu stared at her like an owl as the gorilla man got up and limped away quickly behind her, his friends already long gone.

"Really? You had to think on it?" She snapped, and brushed by him as she continued on their path.

Natsu blew up his cheeks, "Well, I wasn't all that prepared…but if I was I totally would've made him pay for that!"

Lucy scoffed and flicked a hair over her shoulder, "Oh whatever, you were useless. Let's just get the _hell_ out of this market."

Natsu trailed behind her, guilt suddenly pulsed through him like a bad omen. He twisted his lips at her stressed figure ahead, and decided to come up beside her with a jolly skip. He threw an arm around her shoulders and showed her his cheeky grin, "Nice move back there. Hey, how about I make it up to you by taking you to your favorite bookshop? I'll get you anything you want~~"

Lucy took a moment of silence to ponder on his offer, and with a playful nudge of his hip against hers, she finally cracked open a smile and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I get two books."

"Deal," Natsu laughed. They both continued to stroll out of the market and back onto the normal streets of Magnolia with a comfortable silence between them both. Neither of them noticed they were still in an embrace, but neither of them would really care if they did. It was one of those rare moments where they both felt very content with the other.

"Hey, you should teach me that knee kick move. Maybe I can use it on Gray when he's not looking."

"Good luck with that. He taught me that move to use on you."

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**got an ask on tumblr, cute right?**

**Review?**


	36. Freaks and Creeps

**Includes: Natsu/Lucy**

**Lucy POV**

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Freaks and Creeps

Part 1

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I didn't want to be one of those people, I refused to be. It wasn't my place to assume and judge and think that I always had the right answer, but in all honesty I couldn't help it. It was out of concern, if that makes it any better, and seeing him every day and basically _knowing_ what he was doing just made me really upset.

He smoked. I mean he had to, there was no other reason or explanation why he smelled like smoke every time I saw him. Smoking was terrible, it didn't make you a terrible person if you did, and I can understand why some people found comfort and solace in it, but it just never sat well with me. Habits are hard to break, especially _bad _ones at that, but didn't those drug seminars we were forced to see in school mean anything to people?

It was none of my business, I know. He was an adult, so was I, and he didn't need me, some_customer_ breathing down his neck about what was right for him. It was unfair, and who knows why he began in the first place. Maybe someone close passed away or something awful like that, I couldn't really blame him right?

Though he was always a beam of sunshine when I saw him. It was always a part of the day I looked forward to when I got to step into that cafe, because I knew he would always be right there, standing behind that counter with the most bored expression you could imagine on a person. He always smiled at me though, and I always made myself squirmy by thinking he only smiled at customers like that when it was me.

His name was Natsu and he was honestly so nice. He was goofy and friendly and considering I always arrived at this addicting coffee shop when I was stressed and pissed from college work, him cheering me up always seemed to work better than the giant cup of caffeine I gulped down. He was…cute. In both and every way possible. His demeanor and aura and silly grin could all be marked down as the most adorable sight within a twenty mile radius.

It really bummed me out to think that someone as nice as him was poisoning himself like that. I mean, considering where I went to college, I can understand why some people wouldn't find this as such a big deal. We were different from the others, our bodies and minds were built to withstand and comprehend things that other humans couldn't, but it still didn't mean that inhaling all those toxic fumes wasn't dangerous. We were different, not immortal.

At least, I think most of us were.

The university I went to was sort of an unwritten safe haven for the freaks and creeps. We could do things others couldn't and a number more, and believe me, some of us were _way_ past the age of being Frat boys.

We hid in plain sight, most of us being lucky enough to where we looked normal out the outside, and those who didn't had to make a special effort to think of a disease that caused hair to grow in odd places. It was okay though, there weren't any manhunts or riots or anything dangerous like that, though the stares that lasted a bit too long to those sensitive about themselves did cause some tension.

Other than that, everything was peachy! I was also one of those weirdo's; apparently being able to see and converse with cosmic beings wasn't something other people could do? I learned that pretty quick when I caught a mermaid taking a bubble bath in my bathroom when I was five.

And, I didn't mean ghosts when I said "cosmic beings", I meant _literal_ celestial beings. Like from the universe, and others. (Yes, apparently there are others). They've lived since the beginning of time, so, needless to say, they told some pretty interesting stories.

Ironically, thanks to the fellows I've gotten to meet, I decided to major in astrophysics. It was interesting and I was curious to learn about what else our universe had to offer, on my own terms. I didn't want to offend the guys, but the way they explained things was way out of my comprehension, so I figured taking it slow along with the other humans was probably a better choice than having an existential crisis every Saturday night.

It was hard, lots of math, but also easy considering my inside help. I drained myself easily trying to explain all those theories and math equations, so that was when I went to the cafe to refuel. There were tons of coffee shops around campus actually, but I loved this specific one because I could actually _drink_ their coffee.

I was lactose intolerant, (I suppose having cosmic abilities did come with a price), and so actually finding a cafe that offered a substitute for regular milk was like a prayer answered. Natsu worked there and I found myself liking the place more and more after every visit, so usually after every day I went and got a coffee to help keep myself awake to study for finals.

Sometimes if the place was quiet enough I would sit and do some work there before heading back to my dorm, and considering the walk there was almost half a mile after a day of running to and from classes, getting to sit for a minute was what I really needed.

I entered the cafe, the sun already set beyond the horizon and my legs begging for a break. I was just about to go home and maybe sleep for a decade, but I remembered at the last minute that I still had _yet_ to start my black hole theory paper due by Friday. Deciding I was going to need some serious caffeine, I spun around and headed straight back to _Direwood's Coffee and Tea_.

As soon as I stepped in my eyes fell on the server that always seemed to be of the verge of death by boredom. He stood slumped over the counter, his cheek in his palm and his eyes just about to flutter shut, before he jerked them back open again and repeated the process. A few stray students hung out around the sofa's and tables, a quiet murmur drifting through the sweet air that left a cozy feeling inside of you; I guess it was a pretty slow day.

"Waiting for me?" I called out, catching his attention with a rather intense jerk of his body. He popped right up behind the counter and flicked his eyes towards me, a warm glow filling them at the sight.

Natsu smiled, that same smile that I already felt cheering me up, and gave a playful shrug. "More for my shift to end, but I guess you're the next best thing."

I felt a flattered tingle in my gut, but quirked an eyebrow at him in response, "Number two? And I thought we were closer than that, what a betrayal."

Amused by that, he leaned over the counter and gave me a challenging smirk, "Sorry 'bout that. Tell you what though, you can be my number one if you do _one _thing for me."

I waited for him to continue, slightly wary at his desperate demeanor.

"Order the hardest thing on the menu." he told me, as simple as that. I laughed and he shook his hands, his outlook completely serious, "Really! I'm dying here. Give me a challenge, please?"

The way his eyes seemed to grow twice as big when he pleaded nearly had me wanting to pinch his cheeks. "And my incessant needs for fake milk isn't a challenge enough?"

He shrugged, lackadaisical, "Nah, I've gotten used to it…"

He let those words drip off his tongue with a certain intimacy, and I think he recognized it at the last second. The rest of whatever he wanted to say drifted unspoken in the air, and I had no idea why I felt so privileged that he remembered my order every time I came in. It was actually pretty nice. We had really only known each other for a few weeks at the most, our conversations short and basic, so this really was the first time our talks went past three sentences.

"Well, I'll have my usual I suppose. Though you can add some cinnamon if you really need that 'challenge'." I joked.

Natsu grinned at me timidly, giving a quick scratch of his head and muttered a "yeah", before setting off to make it. I paid and got my coffee and headed back towards a table by the window. I pulled out my laptop and all my notes and decided that I could at least finish my outline before I headed back home. I got myself all situated before I even took a sip, and I think once I did I was more than surprised.

Almond milk. Not lacto-free? That was so weird, I thought they only served lacto-free here. I mean, I had asked for other flavors and substitutes before, but Natsu said that was all they carried here. Maybe they offered it now? If they did that would honestly be so great, because it really did taste so much better than before.

I stood up and went back over to Natsu doing something to a machine I couldn't see. I called out for him, "Hey?" he looked at me, "Did you guys start serving almond milk?"

Natsu's movements slowly halted, glancing down to the cup in my hand and back up to my eyes. He wiped his palms on his pants and I watched as his lips curled up into a sheepish smile, a faint shade of pink crossing over his nose and onto his cheeks. He turned to me like he had just been caught stealing cookies out of a jar.

"Well, you always ask if we have that type of milk, so I got some specially for you." he answered, scratching his nose to hide the obvious _blush_ he had.

I stared at him, nearly speechless for a second, and laughed. "Really?"

He nodded at me meekly, trying so desperately to seem casual and careless about the utterly sweet manner, and I couldn't help but 'aw' out loud. I felt myself get all squirmy again, _flattered_ beyond comprehension, and felt a blush of my own. I really couldn't believe he did that? Like he actually went out and _bought_ me milk with his own money?Just for me?

What did I do to deserve this? That was literally the sweetest thing that's ever happened to me before, oh wow.

"That was so nice," I said, my voice getting all shrill and sappy like it did when I was overly happy.

Natsu only seemed to find this more embarrassing and grimaced, turning around with a cup to make himself busy and avoid my insufferably loving gaze. "It really wasn't anything, I was just at the store and I…thought of…"

He waved a hand to dismiss himself and the rest his statement. _Me?_ _He thought of me?_ I bit down on my lip to muffle my giant giddy grin and saw him come back up at my silence. I couldn't help it, if I opened my mouth then I knew I would laugh at him. Well, not _at_ him, but you know. It was so sweet I couldn't help but _want_ to laugh.

"Thank you." I said, after a moment of composure. I leaned on the counter towards him and I saw something flicker in his eyes that I couldn't decipher. "Really."

He shuffled in his place, seeming a bit restless, and finally let loose the dorkiest, cheekiest, most crooked grin I had seen on him yet. He scratched his nose again, shrugging a careless shoulder. "No problem."

Natsu had taken an unconscious step forward at that, and I felt his smoky scent waft up into my senses. My spirits felt a bit discouraged as I remember the habit I was sure he had. He smoked. He had to, there was no way his scent could be so strong if he didn't do it as often as I thought he did. I mean, I _liked_ it. I liked how he smelled, it was mixed between something earthy and sweet and I admired it, but I didn't like the idea of someone as nice as him killing himself like that.

I pondered on whether I should mention it. I constantly told myself that it was _none of my business_, but I actually _liked_ him! It was out of concern, he was a friend and I didn't want him to get sick like he inevitably would. I would feel so terrible if something happened to him just because I didn't warn him in enough time.

But…tonight was such a nice night. He was super sweet and I didn't really want to nag him about his life choices after he went out and did that gesture for me. Maybe I could do it later. Tomorrow maybe?

"Are you going to say something?" Natsu's voice slipped back into my mind, dragging me back into reality.

He was staring at me expectantly, and I realized then I must've been on the verge of spilling my guts out about the diseases smoking caused. I smiled at him despite, and lightly shook my head. "No, just uh, thanks. I think I'll work for a bit and head home for tonight."

He nodded at me, casually, and I went back to go work on my paper. I didn't get very far on it, another rush of people came in and finally gave Natsu that challenge he had been looking for, and I for some reason found him working much more interesting than what the inside of a black hole could be.

Deciding if I wanted any actual work done, I packed up my stuff to go back to my dorm. I strung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door, catching a last second glance from Natsu. I waved at him and smiled, and he merely nodded at me, now noticing how both his hands were full at the moment. He grinned though, crooked and childishly, and all I could really wonder at that moment was why I suddenly felt so happy whenever I saw it. It was like pure sunshine.

Sounded like a question I might have to save for my cosmic friends. God knows my brain will never be able to comprehend it. Maybe theirs can.

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**This is basically a Monster University series, the POV's and certain characters will vary every chapter. Some storylines are connected, some aren't, some don't really have any plot lines at all and are just fun drabbles :)**

**I have an overwhelming love for the supernatural so this is very satisfying for me, I hope it is for you too :D**


	37. Freaks and Creeps (2)

**Includes: Natsu/Lucy**

**Lucy POV**

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Freaks and Creeps

Part 2

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I had to do it. He was literally _right_ there, I had no excuses anymore. I had to do it. Just talk to him. What's the worst that could happen? He could get angry, I guess. Offended, irritated, annoyed–god I hated it when I annoyed people. But he could see that I meant well, right? He was super nice after all, maybe I was just overthinking this.

I came to the coffee shop early today. I had to cut out of class. I wanted to see Natsu before his shift started, or at least got too busy for me to talk to him. I wanted to confront him on his smoking, but I was having trouble mustering up enough courage to do so. I still wasn't sure our relationship was on that level, but you know what? I found that I didn't care anymore. He needed to know how dangerous this was, and if he didn't like me afterwords, so what?

It might save his life.

I waited until he came up to the counters to start getting ready for his shift. He had his cafe hat placed backwards over his hair, the few strands that always seemed to stick up randomly poking through the little slit as if it were made for them. He held a pen cap in his mouth as he scribbled something down quickly on a piece of paper, his eyebrows knitted together in thought. I breathed in and out heavily.

I stood up and came over to him, stepping opposite of the counter, and watched as he was completely engrossed in whatever he was writing.

He glanced up to me, down to his paper, then up to me again. He smiled. "Oh, hey Lucy."

"Hi," I said, failing at trying to seem inconspicuous.

He scratched his hair with his pen sheepishly, "Sorry, I have this paper due Friday and I haven't started yet."

Today was Wednesday? And he was working? Holy hell? Okay, focus Lucy, now's not the time. I waved him off, casually, and cleared my throat to muster up any courage I had left. "That's no problem. I actually just wanted to tell you something real quick."

He seemed to perk up at this, curiously, and awaited for me to continue. I struggled with finding the right words though.

"Uh, well, the thing is…" I scratched my nose, hesitating, "You…you are killing yourself, my friend."

_My friend?_

He creased his eyes at me.

"And I know it's none of my business to be bringing this up, it's your life and I have no say in what you can and can't do, but honestly Natsu," I sighed out, tiredly, "It's so terrible."

He opened his mouth but I already knew he was going to protest.

"And I know it's hard! Habits are a _bitch_ to break, I know, but I promise it's so worth it! I just can't stand to see you every day, being so great, and knowing that you smoke so much that your lungs are practically pitch black."

Natsu stared at me then, wildly, "Smoke?"

I sighed, reaching out to grab his hands on the counter, "Look, I don't know if you're going through something right now or not, but I'm here for you. Smoking kills Natsu, your skin gets ruined, your lungs shrink up, your teeth get black, and there's something about a hole in your throat that I probably should've read in more depth, but it sounds pretty bad nonetheless."

I shuffled through my bag then, "Do you want pictures? I have some and I think you should–"

"_Lucy_," Natsu snapped me out of my endless rambles. I halted taking out my printed out pictures of shriveled up lungs and such, awkwardly, and saw him staring at me in the most confused way ever. "What are you talking about?"

I paused on my tongue, wondering where I lost him. I searched his eyes for an answer, but I found absolutely nothing. He was clueless.

I leaned forward then, maybe he didn't want me being so public about it. I kept my voice low and he leaned in the rest of the way, "You know…your smoking habit? It's okay, I know."

"I just wanted to be able to tell you this in enough time. I mean, it's not like your starting to look that way, _at all._ Your teeth are really white and you have nice skin and you actually look pretty fit for a cashier, so I just wanted to say something before you ruined it all…"

He straightened back up, slowly, and let his eyes faze over as he tried to think this all over. He blinked and switched his gaze back to me, concerned. "Lucy, I don't smoke."

My stomach jumped. I paused."What?"

He gave me a little, apologetic look and shook his head. "I don't smoke."

I gawked at him, nearly speechless until: "_But you have to!_" I sputtered, "Natsu, there's no way you can't. You literally _air_ off smoke, I can smell it from here."

He glanced down to his chest like he thought his shirt was on fire. He seemed to think for a moment, quietly, before a smile slowly slid onto his lips. He lifted his head up with a laugh, albeit nervous one, and scratched the back of his neck, "_Ohh._"

"What?" I questioned, warily.

"That's, well," he chuckled again, shortly. "I didn't really plan on telling you so soon, but," he leaned in to me, his voice lowered. "I'm not exactly 100% human…"

He drifted off to wait for my reaction, and I honestly gave it to him. I was speechless. _What?_ The hell?

He cleared his throat then, "See, I'm actually part dragon, of the dragon race you know? A hybrid, actually."

He stepped back and began to roll up the right sleeve of his shirt, and lo and behold was something I would not have guessed to see in a hundred years.

_Dragon scales._

Ruby red, layered one over another and practically covered his entire arm. I was more speechless now than before.

"So…" I managed out, pointing a finger to his chest, "But…"

"Yeah, the smoke thing?" he asked, grinning at me wryly, "Well, I can do some other stuff also. With the dragon race and all."

I nodded painfully. _Wow._ Wow oh wow. This was almost unbelievable, but _god_ did it make so much sense. "You can breathe fire?"

He nodded happily. "I don't really know much about it, but apparently there's something of an 'eternal flame' in my lungs. I can feel it when I breathe, so I guess all that smoke just comes out of my skin and pores. Or, at least, that's what my friend said when she did an experiment on me."

I listened quietly, probably still trying to find my choice of words, and saw him shake out his shirt like he was hot.

"I didn't think that whole thing was so noticeable though…" he muttered, ducking his face in the shirt hole to take a whiff of himself.

He shrugged and popped back up, straightening his cap on his head. He offered me a patient grin, his eyes practically perked up to see what I would say next.

"Oh my god," I finally spit out, burying my face in my hands. "I am _so _stupid."

I couldn't believe it. I spent _how long_ rambling endlessly to him about smoking cigarettes? A full five minutes? Without a single breath?

And really? I couldn't notice all the signs of him being one of us at first glance? Someone like _me?_The weird colored hair, the frightening sharpness of his teeth, the fact that he never wore short sleeves in 101 degree weather like he _wasn't even hot_, like he never _sweated_, oh my god. How_stupid_ could I be?

I just thought he dyed it. His arm hairs were even pink, _I just thought he dyed it_.

"Stupid?" he said, delightfully, as if it were atrocious. "You're not stupid."

"No, _yes_ I am," I seethed to myself, "I went on and on about smoking and you–_you_–I couldn't see that you–"

I moaned out into my hands, stomping a foot. This was so humiliating.

"Well, it was nice." he commented, casually. I raised my eyes to his, and he scratched his nose again. "I mean, it was pretty funny how worked up you got, but it was nice that you wanted to help me. I don't think anyone else would look twice if I started smoking."

He got all shy then, giving a quick clear of his throat and composing himself. He looked like he wasn't sure he wanted to say that, but it came out anyways. It was sweet.

I smiled lowly, some of that embarrassment lifting a bit, and laughed. "Well, I guess this conversation went better than I expected. I suppose it's better that you be a fire breathing dragon than a smoker."

He nodded then, with a cocky grin. "Oh, it's a hell of a lot better."

I laughed. Tension eased from between us and I didn't exactly know at the moment, but I felt really happy about figuring out he was someone like me, like a whole lot of us. He just seemed more easy to comprehend now. Us weirdo's always did have this special connection, and there was always a topic to discuss about upon first meeting someone. It felt nice.

"I can show you too, it's really cool." he insisted, his grin bright enough to blind me. "It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I've been practicing."

He was like a little kid who learned to ride their first bike. It was ultimately and incredibly adorable. Most people around liked to keep their powers more secretive, I suppose because of judging eyes, and I'll even admit to being like that sometimes, but seeing people like him who didn't give a care in the world just made it look so stupid to act like that.

"Okay well, don't burn the shop down. Your boss looks mad enough right now," I nodded my head towards the manager, who had been giving him side-glares for the past few minutes now.

He glanced to him and puffed up his cheeks, waving a hand to him with a crooked grin. That only seemed to make manners worse, and I giggled as that smile dropped from his lips.

"I should go, you probably have a lot of work to do."

Natsu watched as I went to go pack up all my stuff, calling out to me loudly through the shop. "Uh Miss? Don't you want a coffee?"

I glanced between him and his manager, eyeing me carefully, and hesitated. "Uh. Yeah! Totally, you know my usual right?"

Natsu nodded obviously, and skipped right past his boss to go make it. What a smartass. That was a good one.

I sighed and set all my stuff down again. I guess I could hang around here for a while longer? It wasn't like I had anywhere to go.

I didn't really want to leave anyways.

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**New characters next time :)**

**Review?**


	38. Freaks and Creeps (Prologue)

**Lucy POV**

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**Freaks and Creeps**

**[LATE] Prologue**

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We could debate for hours whether or not 'organized' was the correct term to describe my college, but in the end, it was really a matter of opinion. Lots of things were always happening here, events, protests, meetings, clubs, all sorts of stuff, and generally they were pretty fun and simple. We were like any other school, we had weekly yoga meetings in the rec building and social justice rants every Saturday at the park, but when it came to unwritten cliques, that was where it got a bit messy.

I guess now would be a pretty good time to clarify how exactly Fiore University worked.

As I said before, it was considered a safe haven to beings not 100% human. There was a wide diversity of us, but no tense or violent matters ever came up because of it. We were welcomed here with open arms.

Though, that didn't stop people from making groups. We had a ton of them, actually.

Let's see, we had the vampires of course. They stuck to their own kind in a giant family web. They drank what they needed from students or animals, but never killed anyone. At least, that we know of. They were pretty nice, some were intense, others were chill. Like any other group really.

We had the werewolves, of course, but they were something else. They had a bunch of different packs and it never really seemed like they got along very well, but nothing too big ever broke out. There was a few packs though that literally _fed_ on the idea of people calling them dogs. They were the rudest people ever, they catcalled all the girls, literally _howling_ and panting as they walked by and it was really disturbing. Most of them could tell you a good story about how a pack of the girl wolves kicked their asses though, which was very satisfying.

We also had a pretty large sum of witches here, who hung around in their own little coven. You could spot one a mile away, they always wore the craziest getup and had the most menacing looks in their eyes, so definitely not people you wanted to cross. I hear they do a lot of summoning and rituals and things and it was quite unnerving. Those were just rumors, anyways. They were the most private group here, the vampires coming in a close second.

Then, as I had recently discovered, there were a select few here apart of the Dragon race. They were a really rare bunch. I think there was only like three or four of them here, and last I saw, none of them hung around together. Not that I could spot them anyways, they were never as blatant with their packs like everyone else. I only knew Natsu, honestly. It could be anyone's guess who the others might be, Natsu just said there were others.

That was pretty much it, there were a few other beings like ghosts that hung around here sometimes, but they weren't involved enough to really count as being in a group. They did their own things, chilling in the afterlife, and no one had a problem with it. They never angrily shook the ground or sulked around, as surprising as that was, and sometimes I even saw one or two peeking in a class. I guess you can never really learn too much, and they had eternity to soak everything in.

After all of those, came the people like me. We weren't necessarily outsiders, but we didn't belong to a group either. It was simply because we were 'one of a kind'. At least, in this region. We had very specific abilities and powers, so we never really fit in anywhere particular. It wasn't like there was a squad of people who could see cosmic beings like me, so I was in that outsider group. There were tons of others like me though, I know someone who was a shapeshifter, I had an elf as one of the school's professors, and I think I even saw a mermaid once, not too sure. My friend Gray, he could control ice. He was in the same boat as me. Just random things people like us could do, here and there, nothing too spectacular.

That was about it though, the classes were the same as any other school and so was everything else. Fiore just had a weird bunch to inhabit it. Some of us looked crazy, some of us were crazy. We were all just trying to get an education though, same as everyone else.

Though, these freaks and creeps really do spice things up a bit. And boy could I tell you some stories.

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**Important guys! This series, while will include nalu, is a mixture of other pairings as well. The chapters are pretty specific to certain pairings, but I might introduce other character pairings that play parts in different nalu chapters and it might get confusing. **

**Would you all like strict nalu chapters or would you mind other pairings, just to learn about their characters? I've already skipped over a gruvia chapter for this, but I really would like feedback.**

**Review or PM me please! :D**


	39. Freaks and Creeps (3)

**Includes: Gray/Juvia**

**Gray POV**

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Freaks and Creeps

Part 3

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I was never really one for skipping out of class, but today called for it. It was my History of Modern Art class, which, let's face it, was boring as hell. I practically slept in there every day anyways, and I learned all I really needed to know from the textbook. (Which I ought to considering it cost half my tuition).

So, I figured I could find a better use for my time. I was too far from the dorm to go back, and I would just have to get right back up again in two hours, so I hung around whatever was nearby.

Turns out a more productive use of my time was sitting in the quad thinking about it. It was freezing outside, no snow, but even I'll admit that it was cold today. Which, was really saying something, considering there was ice in my veins.

Really. There actually was ice in my veins, I was cold blooded. Another one of those weirdo's I guess, literally anything and everything I touched would turn to ice. It was pretty annoying when I first figured out I could do it, (might or might not have frozen my pool when I was eight) but over time I controlled it.

I didn't really know what to do with my powers then, so I did what any guy would do. Become an ice sculptor. I was already in my second year of college. It was easy and I found it interesting, and I liked to think I was pretty good at it too. I mean, I had a never ending supply of ice, so really I could do whatever I wanted.

It was just the history of it all that bored me to death. And apparently, sitting out on a frozen solid bench in the courtyard was about 5X more interesting. People rushed by between classes, some yelling, some crying, some guy wearing a snuggie and skateboarding. I actually talked to him once, he was pretty cool.

I was listening to some music and trying to rest my eyes until the next class, but that was proven difficult with all the yells around. I waited until it cleared out some, a few odd glances tossed my way and a few curious ones. I suppose I could assume why, I typically forgot to dress "appropriately" for the winter, so seeing a guy wearing jeans and no shirt was always something to stare at. I sighed and grabbed a shirt out of my bag, tugging it over my head. I swear, it's like I don't even notice I take it off.

Class was about to start and I waited until it got quieter around. I leaned my head over the back of the bench to try and sleep, but a particular scream opened my eyes again.

"_No!_ Stop!"

I looked over towards the fountain in enough time to see a girl get absolutely _pelted_ with water balloons. Water sprayed everywhere, the colored balloon fragments exploding like confetti and a loud screech came from the poor girl.

The few boys laughed at her and darted off as quick as they appeared. The girl from where I stood looked soaked, but still tried to make a pathetic effort to shake off all the water. I didn't really understand why they would do that, it was kind of a lame prank, but what I saw next had my question definitely answered.

Her entire figured glowed white for a second, a bunch of white layers falling off of her and next I knew, she was on the ground. With a giant tail instead of legs. She was a mermaid. Like, an actual mermaid.

She yelled out in anger to the guys and shouted out a variety of curses to them, looking like she wanted to rip their heads clean off. It wasn't like she could move to do it though. Even I couldn't help a smile. That was pretty insane, I understood the prank now.

Class started just then and she merely groaned out, staring at her tail helplessly. I scoffed. These people were idiots. Playing my music again, I decided to _finally_ try and sleep for however long I could.

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I didn't know if I drifted off or not, but about a half hour later my eyes cracked open. Did I sleep? Or just…meditate? I could never tell the difference. I sighed and stretched, readjusting the headphones over my ears. I paused then, craning my neck around the fountain and held back a laugh. That girl was *still there. She was actually stranded there, she couldn't move at all. I guess her little spell lasted longer than anyone would've thought.

Believe me though, she was still trying. It was barely noticeable, but she was still trying to drag herself someplace, and was failing effectively. Alright, now I felt a bit bad for her. I could still see her fuming from here.

Oh whatever, I could help. My heart was made of ice but, even I could be nice.

I sighed and stood up, strolling over to girl. I came up behind her struggling on the ground and stopped right beside her. I watched her, slightly amused.

She huffed out of her nose then, lowly, and glanced up from my feet. Her blue eyes narrowed at me. "What?"

I smirked and shrugged. She was kind of cute. Maybe it was just her mermaid beauty showing out, but more annoyance thrived in her features than anger, and I found myself admiring it. She still looked sad though, don't get me wrong. The wool dress she had been wearing when she was pelted was still on her, only it was a giant, blue-scaled tail poking out from the bottom instead of legs. It was pretty pathetic.

"If you are going to laugh, go ahead. Just go away," she spit out, bitterly. She ignored me then and shifted around on the ground, trying to pull herself up into a sitting position. It didn't work though, and her arms fell to her elbows with an exhausted sigh.

"Actually, I was just gonna offer a hand," I told her.

She snorted out of her nose at that like I just said a joke. "Of course you were."

I raised a brow at that, intrigued, and watched silently as she tried pulling herself up onto the fountain edge. She had her hands hooked around the edge and teeth gritted, trying all sorts of movements to drag her tail up closer.

I studied her for a good minute or two, and I really found it hard to believe that she couldn't carry her own body weight like this. Words flowed from her mouth in a jumble, something about how she just wanted a simple education and how she couldn't even get that. I couldn't really make it out specifically, she was talking to herself more to me, but I think I got the gist of it. She was pissed, to put simply, and also sort of implied that this wasn't the first time it's happened. I could understand doing this once, maybe twice as a prank, but more than that was just excessive. She really did seem like she was struggling, and what can I say, I felt bad for her.

"Really, do you want some help?" I asked her, genuinely.

She looked over to me at my voice, and while I expected another sharp retort or glare, she seemed confused. A wary sort of confusion. She looked at me directly, intensely, and I felt a bit awkward.

"Really? You want to help Juvia?" she questioned, solemnly.

Juvia? Who the hell was–oh, her? She just said her own name? Like, in the third person? Okay…mermaids were weird.

"Well I'm not just gonna turn and leave. I'm an asshole but not that big of one." I stated, crossing my arms. She stared at me then like she was having trouble deciding to trust me.

Realizing she had no other option probably, she finally sighed out in defeat.

"I can carry you if you want, where's your dorm?" I asked her, stepping to her side.

"No," she said quickly, "Juvia needs to go to class, this is the third time she's skipped it. The spell will have worn off by then, it only lasts a hour."

I nodded at that, casually. Nice integrity. I took the bag she dropped from beside her and slung it over my shoulder. She looked hesitant about letting me pick her up though, "Juvia's tail…it's very heavy. She's not so sure you can–"

"I'll be fine," I said, crouching down to her. She kept quiet then and slowly wrapped her arms around my neck.

Here's where it got tricky…I had my arms around her back and under her tail and everything, but I didn't expect it to be so…slimy. Her scales were actually really smooth, but there was like this veil on some stuff on top that I guess helped her swim better. It was really weird out of water though, and _damn_ was she right about it being heavy.

This thing weighed a _ton_. Why the hell was this so heavy?

"It keeps so much weight to hold the warmth inside, it's what keeps Juvia from freezing underwater."

Well, that answers that.

I attempted at lifting her up, but my arms slid all around on her scales. I breathed a curse out, her eyes watching me in a timid sense, and eventually got the right angle on it. I lifted her up with a groan and huffed out, my breath clouding up into the air.

"Juvia's class is in the Union building, the oceanography class." she said to me as I began lugging her away, "She takes marine biology."

I breathed out a chuckle, "That's ironic."

A smile of her own slipped onto her lips. She didn't say anything though, I guess she wasn't all that much of a social butterfly. I took my sweet time heading over to the Union building, trying to focus on not letting her literally slip from my grasp and crumble under the weight. I guess her tail was like blubber right? Like from whales? I read somewhere that's what kept fish warm, so I guess it was in the same family.

She tried small attempts of shifting her weight to help ease the stinging in my muscles, but nothing really helped much. Her hair kept flying into my face with all the wind, and as much as I thought it was funny how her blue tail matched her blue hair, I'd still like to know where I was walking so we both don't end up in the ER. Other than that though, it wasn't so bad.

"Thank you," she spoke up after a while, readjusting her arms around my neck, "Juvia probably would have missed her class again if it weren't for you."

I wanted to shrug but decided that wasn't a good idea. "No problem. Just happened to be around."

She looked at me wondrously then, and attempted to make conversation. "What are you majoring in?"

I glanced to her from my path, and felt her tense up a smidgen. "Art. Sculpting, actually."

"Really?" she seemed intrigued, "That's interesting."

I cracked a wry smile at that, "Pretty boring to talk about though."

She shook her head lightly, "No, have you made a lot of sculptures? Like wood ones?"

I stifled down a smirk. "You could say I'm pretty into ice. That part always came easy to me."

She seemed confused, and thought on that for a minute. "Sculpting or…ice?"

I chuckled in reply. Leading people on like that was always something I found strangely entertaining.

I came up to the building and I felt like my arms were about to fall off. She weighed an absolute _ton_, but I knew better than to complain. She directed me through the hallways that seemed to go on forever, my pace probably slower than she liked. She seemed anxious to go to class, but oddly not all that eager.

"So, what's your name?" Juvia asked casually, staring at me with big eyes. "Juvia's name–

"Let me guess, it's Juvia." I rose an eyebrow, watching her catch her tongue.

She smiled and nodded, a breath of a laugh leaving her lips. "Juvia supposes that was obvious."

I nodded. "I'm Gray," I told her.

Her arms wound around me tighter at that, and I wondered if it was because she was happy or that I was two seconds away from us both crumbling.

"Don't worry, Juvia should be able to walk soon." she said, her smile eager as we neared her class.

God, she better hope so, because I was honestly about to drop her. I sucked it up and carried her the rest of the way to her class, practically busting the doors wide open.

People coming in late to class was no unusual thing, but when that person happens to be carrying a mermaid, that's when it gathered attention. Everyone stared at us silently, and I'm pretty sure I looked like I was about to die.

"Hey look, Ariel made it!" A guy joked among the crowd, "And Prince Eric along with her!"

A few distant laughs sounded through the room, and I resisting rolling my eyes at that pathetic joke. Prince Eric, really?

I glared at the grinning bastard, "The _hell_ did you just call me you little–"

I was about to finish that retort with something, possibly rude, but a tingling sensation in my arms caught me off guard. Juvia started to glow white again and I froze, these thin white layers just dripping off of her, but they vanished into thin air before they could hit the ground. Her white glow became blinding for a second, and dimmed down until it disappeared.

Her legs were back. Big furry boots wrapped around her ankles then and the slit in her dress seemed a bit more provocative than before. I felt her skin beneath my hands, ones that were _pretty_high up her legs and let her down quickly.

"Thank you, thank you so much," she gushed, happily, "Juvia cannot repay you enough."

I waved her off, just happy that I didn't have to carry her anymore.

"Really, no one has helped her like that before. She's really…" her words drifted off in uncertainty, holding her tongue in a pause before she smiled. "Grateful."

I wasn't sure what to make of the obvious admiration in her eyes, but I offered her a shrug. "Okay."

I was pretty much ready to go back, but a nasally little voice brought my eyes back to a smug face.

"Aren't we going to see a true loves kiss?"

A few more people laughed at that and I _really_ didn't understand. Who the hell was this guy and_why_ was he such a douche? I've never even met him before.

I glanced to Juvia then, she had her head lowered and there was undoubtedly a scarlet blush on her cheeks. She didn't seem embarrassed though, she just seemed guilty. Like she was ashamed of something. She kept her lips tight and secure, and that only brought more confusion.

I glanced back up to the guy, his smile still cocky, and wondered if there was a connection there. I sent his grin right back at him, throwing a sharp glare to him. "Sure, why don't you come down here and kiss my ass? I can't imagine a happier ending."

A variety of voices and comments sounded through the crowd and I felt a bit accomplished. Juvia looked up to me then, solemnly pleased. A loud clear of a throat echoed above all of this though, and I glanced to an old woman frowning at me deeply.

"I've had enough! You are disturbing my class, all of you!" she whipped her face to the douchebag, "Either be quiet or leave!"

Well, that was my queue.

"Thank you," Juvia whispered again.

I shrugged with half a smile. "Try not to get stranded again. I'm not carrying you across campus, I work out enough."

Her cheeks turned pink, and I think it was an actual blush now. She seemed timid, but happy. I guess that was better than before.

I turned to leave, throwing another glance to the guy staring at me, and left soundly. I muffled the need to say something again. Believe me, the last thing I needed was to get all caught up in useless drama.

I told myself constantly, stay out of complicated things. Though, with this, I might have broken that rule without even knowing it.

* * *

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* * *

**I loved the idea of a mermaid being stranded out like that omg**

**And since no one objected to having different couples in this series and even a few voted for it, I'll add the other pairings I planned on having in this too, I hope you like them :D**

**Review?**


	40. Persona

**Persona**

**"Angry + To Keep a Cover" Kiss**

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**.**

"Why are we letting him do this again?"

Gray nearly rolled his eyes to the back of his head at Lucy's voice. He forced himself not to though, knowing if he did then a gauntlet would come flying out of nowhere and smash his head wide open. He instead stared at the blonde and uttered a bitter tone. "You know if I answer that I'll have a sword up my ass."

Lucy laughed quietly and shrugged. "Yeah, sorry."

It was well into the night for Team Natsu, as they were yet again on another mission. Coming all the way from Garage Island was a gang of treasure hunters, surprisingly, who were planning on robbing a high security vault that held some of the countries most valuable relics. They were obtained from a shipwreck right off the coast of Fiore actually, which was how the gang got noticed in the first place by trying to ransack it, but had escaped in the last second.

Now with tensions high from the Magic Council, they had called upon their most _favorite_ guild to capture these fugitives and bring them back. And lucky for them, Fairy Tail's strongest team was on the case.

It was supposed to be a simple _search and destroy_ mission, but as news came back that they had an entire hold of stolen relics that needed to be found, Erza had called for a slight switch in the plan. So, instead of blowing their little leader up and capturing the rest, it seems as though Team Natsu needed to take the more stealthier approach.

So, that was why Gray and Lucy were crammed in the Karou Hotel's storage closet as Natsu and Erza were down at the bar. Separately of course. This was an undercover mission after all.

Both Erza and Natsu had listening devices on them, and the plan was to basically infiltrate their little gang with some fresh blood. Natsu, to be more specific.

And boy was that a debate at first briefing. It was Erza's orders though, and both Gray and Lucy knew better than to disobey or question her, so, here they were. She gave no explanation or understanding as to _why_ she chose Natsu to try and befriend these people. Even Natsu would admit himself that this wasn't exactly his area of expertise. He was more of the secret weapon, the ace in your pocket. He could show up and blow everything to smithereens, he was the monster you couldn't land a hit on. Not exactly the type of guy you'd expect to coax their way into a gang.

Erza had said simply that he _'fit the part'_, but Gray could object to that with evidence and documents and the whole shebang. Hell, he looked more like a criminal than Natsu did. Natsu was too loud and attention seeking to be a criminal, they needed to stay _below_ the radar. Erza was obviously out of her right mind.

Even Lucy would have been a better choice, and she knew that herself. With some new clothes and her amazing acting skills, she could have passed off as a criminal! She was never the type to get jealous easily, but she couldn't help but feel ripped off by Erza. She didn't complain though. Openly.

"Testing. Can you hear me?"

Gray and Lucy perked up at the sound of Erza's voice coming through the lacrima speaker. With an enchantment Levy had given to the team, they were able to hopefully communicate telepathically, so long as they kept the lacrima on their person and in good shape.

"Loud and clear, you two all set down there?" Gray asked.

Erza smiled as she stared at Natsu sitting rather smugly at the bar. The place was dim and quite fancy, few people loitered around with drinks and dates, and some by their lonesome as they rather enjoy their solitude. Natsu sat in a barstool, drinking a drink he was handed blindly, and reveled happily that he was the one down here and not Gray. "All fired up down here, how are _you_ two?"

Lucy and Gray bared their teeth.

"Alright guys, focus. I see him." Erza said, before a nasty retort could be spoken. She sat on a lounge chair within a considerable distance of Natsu, eyeing a man that sat a few stools down from him. "Natsu remember, you're a criminal looking for a quick con. Be confident like you know what you're doing–"

"Easy," he chuckled, with a smug smirk.

"And calm like you don't want to tick him off. We can't have him suspicious."

That quieted Natsu down a bit. Gray inwardly laughed at the idiot; the last thing he wanted was for the mission to fail, but seeing Natsu crash and burn like he inevitably would, might just make it worth it.

Natsu sucked in a breath of confidence and saw Erza motion his view to the fugitive. She was his backup, ultimately, in case he said or did something stupid. She would never let him speak in his usual uncensored speech, so she was there to direct and help him out as best she could. Gray and Lucy didn't have eyes, but they had everything Erza couldn't do out in public.

"And these people are smart Natsu, so you need to be also." Lucy added, shoving her hand over Gray's laughing mouth. "Don't worry, you've got us educated folk up here for that."

Natsu didn't quite understand what she meant by smart, but Lucy spoke up after a minute of forcing Gray to keep his snarky mouth shut about Natsu's intelligence. "Lucky for us, your man is Jin Kang. He's our rookie, joined only last month. Don't underestimate him though, he's the gang's strategist and planner. Super smart. You're gonna have to impress him pretty well."

Lucy's concerned tone wasn't all that comforting to anyone at the moment, but Gray intervened with a side narrow of his eyes. "His nickname is Robin, call him that. That's what all his criminal friends call him."

Natsu took his time soaking in this information, and with a noticeable nod from Erza, he cleared his throat.

"You know I hear that there's some museum in town here. Chancy's I think? Supposed to be pretty upscale." Natsu spoke, catching Robin's eye from across the bar. "Know how to get there?"

Robin drank quietly, and for a second he didn't answer. He came off as a very dark person to Natsu, who contrasted greatly with his naturally bright atmosphere. He didn't falter under the fugitives harsh gaze though.

"I'm visiting." Natsu added, with a surprisingly amount of tranquility. "You look like someone who knows their way around here."

Robin studied Natsu, obviously from where Erza sat, and she hoped anxiously that he kept his cool. She was about to speak up with some sort of advice, before Robin decided to amuse the kid.

"Down on Seventh Street, by the Hox Theater." he answered casually.

Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hey thanks! Tell you what, lemme buy you a drink," Natsu spoke up, grinning at the man as he waved to the bartender.

Robin appeared wary of Natsu as a drink was given to him, and he eyed the way that toothy grin was shown to him. "Do I know you or something?"

Natsu chuckled, "No, but you sure as hell wish you did."

Robin narrowed his eyes at the man, more so with curiosity than with suspicion, and was approached with a single hand. "Robin, right?" The fugitives eyes widened at this, but was calmed at the mischievous twinkle he saw in the man across from him. "Don't worry, I'm not lookin' to say anything. I am lookin' to talk about somethin' else though. If, you have the time."

With the way this was going, you were sure that someone had to be feeding these lines to him, but this was all him. Everyone was listening and watching with saucers for eyes. The way he was handling himself was beyond impressive, but almost incomprehensible. He acted so unlike himself, so suave and mannered and like he actually knew what he was doing.

It was a shock to them all, including Natsu. Those spy movies he had been watching really did pay off.

"Who the hell are you?" Robin asked, his voice treading softly yet sternly.

Natsu proceeded then to come up with this massive lie about who he was to the man. He went on and on, and if you were able to glimpse into his mind all the while, you would have thought he was having fun thinking of such a ridiculous alter ego. Robin nodded along in dumb nativity though, as much as Gray hated to see him falling for his idiotic persona.

Apparently Natsu was this international criminal, a master thief and con artist. He spoke slyly to the fugitive, coming up with grand deal that bordered a speech Lucy found resembling a movie she and Natsu had watched once together.

After a while of buttering the guy up and completely entrancing him, Natsu finally broke through that 'bad guy' facade Robin had, and had successfully placed himself on their watch list. Robin left with a promise of mentioning Natsu's plan to his friends, and with a satisfied smile from Erza in the lounge chair behind him, he yelled to the bartender for an entire pitcher of the best beer they offered.

He drank the whole damned thing.

* * *

"Okay Natsu, this is a very important meeting alright?" Erza spoke sternly. Everyone sat in his hotel room now, prepping for another setup, "You have to prove to them that you're serious alright? You mean business."

Natsu nodded along, casually, while eating the little chocolates that were put on his pillow. He threw the wrapper by Gray's feet, who in return glowered at the man. "And don't try and tell jokes again like you did last night, you're supposed to be professional."

It was obvious Gray was bitter towards the 'international criminal', and Natsu caught onto that with a snobbish smile. "Sure thing."

Lucy was too busy fixing up Natsu's appearance to be bitter along with Gray about the whole thing. She dressed him up in a suit and a tie, much to his dismay, and even ran a brush through his hair. She was a real nitpick about having him look properly, and even declared at some point that _'international criminals had to look nice if they could make deals with people that didn't even speak their language_'. So, she had been tying his knot in three different ways for the past half hour as Erza briefed everyone.

"Quit eating, you'll mess up your suit." Lucy snatched another chocolate out of his hand, tossing it out of his reach. Natsu sighed loudly and waved her hands away from choking him with this tie, but she pressed on despite his glower. "And remember, just pitch your sale and be overly confident about it. They'll be putty in your hands. Then we can find out where they're storing those relics when we make the deal."

"Okay okay," Natsu droned, standing up with a big puff in his chest, "You guys get outta here before they come."

He waved everyone out with a steady noise of objections, but Natsu ignored them all. His mind was about to explode if they stayed a second longer with all their incessant hovering and motherly babbling. He needed a second to himself to compose himself and gather his super cool persona, and with Erza reminding him constantly to be professional and Gray's jealous glaring and Lucy endlessly tying his tie, he couldn't do that properly.

But now? He was ready. He was _so_ ready to kick some ass. In the metaphorical sense anyways, unfortunately he couldn't kick their asses physically just yet.

Robin and the rest of his thieving gang showed up in Natsu's room a while later. There were about five of them, highest up on the chain, and admitted to be intrigued by his characterization by Robin. Right as they showed up they wanted to get straight to business, they weren't the type of people to entertain themselves with small talk.

Natsu was actually holding himself pretty well, he had explained his deal with their relics and the fake ones of his own. He had it all planned out in his head after a rather tedious session with Erza about how he were to pitch his sale. He was overly confident as Lucy said, which wasn't hard for him to display apparently, though with one simple remark, he had all of that assurance faltering.

"You know, this sounds like a pretty solid deal, I'll be honest." A woman said, who had been quietly observing the conversation for the majority of the time, "But the thing is–who are you? You say you're wanted in all these countries but I've never heard of you or even seen your face anywhere. Why is that?"

Natsu tried his best not to glare at the woman for trying to pry so deep, but instead smiled at them all. "Well, you can't escape the Magic Council so easily if they know everything about you. I like to keep most things about me private, it's what kept me safe for so long. I use many names."

Lucy tried hard not to roll her eyes at that cheesy line.

"She's right," a man spoke up, one that definitely didn't seem like anyone wanted to cross. He had a thick beard and a cigar poking from between his teeth, and bushy enough eyebrows to give a threatening light to his eyes. "How can we know you're legitimate?"

Natsu could feel them slipping from his grasp._ "Prove it to them!"_ Erza nearly screeched in his ear.

Natsu took a quick glance to his side and a gleam caught his sights, composing himself surprisingly well.

"How about this," he stood up, calmly, "You don't trust me, and I get that. I wouldn't trust me either." he grinned slyly and Erza glared at him mentally. He sauntered over towards the end table and picked up something very familiar. "So let me give you just a little _piece_ to show my loyalty, and to show you what else I have in store for you."

A keychain jangled in Natsu's hand, and the crowd of fugitives stared at it with big bright eyes. "What are those?"

Lucy pressed her lacrima rock in closer to her ear in a feeble attempt to hear louder. Natsu grinned cockily. "These are some of the rarest items you can find on Earthland."

A freezing shiver hit Lucy's spine like a slap of water. Gray watched with a careful eye as she practically spasmed in her seat, her hands flying to her empty waist. Her mouth gaped open in a silent cry. "_Natsu!_ Those are my–DON'T YOU DARE!"

"Ten of the twelve golden celestial keys. Only ones in the world, and I promise you, worth more than all of your houses combined." he finished, with a slight ringing in his ear.

"_NATSU!_" Lucy screamed.

The bearded fugitive stood up, straightened up his suit, flicked some of the ash off his cigar, and gave a big old grin to Natsu. "Well what do you know–I've been lookin' for them suckers for ages." he laughed jollily, "I don't mind accepting this."

Lucy whimpered as Natsu handed over her keys with a slight tremble in his fingers. She pressed a hand to her heart to keep from having a heart attack. The man studied each golden key with a sparkle in his eye. Natsu stood idly by, hearing a variety of curses and vulgarly come from his usually very _polite _friend, and saw a hand outstretched to him.

"You have yerself a deal here, boy."

Natsu smirked at the gang and shook his hand, "Good to do business. We'll both be very rich men soon enough. Thanks, bye!"

The bearded fugitive chuckled deeply, tossing the keychain around in his hands and waved to his crew. They all stood up and followed him back to the door.

"We're doing the heist tomorrow at 2. Meet me at 7 before then and we can finish this deal up." The man said, and left without another word. His crew members followed him out soundly.

Natsu waited till the door closed to cheer loudly at his success, but no one exactly joined in. Erza and Gray watched as Lucy was literally fuming in her skin next to them. They didn't agree with using Lucy's most precious friends to make a criminal deal, but then again, if Natsu hadn't then that deal might have failed and their mission along with it. They decided that staying quiet was the best route, but what neither of them expected was for Lucy to literally _dart_ out of the storage closet and smash straight into Natsu's room.

"Lucy–!"

Her hands found Natsu's neck more quickly than Happy smelt out a fish. She smacked him a majority of times, her voice screeching all the while, "I can't _believe_ you! My keys, _my keys!_ You gave them to that idiotic, heartless _crimelord!_ Who knows what he'll do them, he could hurt them!"

With a smack of her fist with practically every syllable, Natsu finally caught her wrist to stop her, "_Lucy!_ They'll be fine, they're friggin eternal spirits! And these guys know how to treat valuable shit, calm down!"

She stomped her foot and yanked her wrist away from him, "Don't tell me to calm down! How could you do that, you_idiot!_"

"Idiot?" Natsu laughed, his voice cracking coldly as he glared at the blonde, "This idiot just saved that deal! If I hadn't of done that then millions of dollars would've been in their hands! You'll get them back okay? After we take their base!"

Lucy's face was red with fury. A storm was brewing inside her that Natsu could easily match. She bared her teeth at him and tried everything not to grind them into dust. "Take their base? Oh right, yeah! We'll do that! I can totally fight without my_goddamn keys!_"

"We'll handle it okay!" Natsu hissed, "You can't be here so soon, what if they come back? You gotta get out of here, they might have someone spying on me!"

Natsu grabbed Lucy's arm to motion her back to the closet with Gray and Erza (who had been listening with quite an awkward silence between them) and she yanked her arm away harshly, "Don't _touch_ me you asshole!"

Natsu gave her a tired glare, "_Lucy_–"

A rough knock on the door separated the two with a jump. They both shut up and nearly developed whiplash at turning their heads so quickly towards the door. They stared at the door, then at themselves.

"That's not us guys, that's gotta be someone else!" Erza said in their heads, "Lucy you can't be there, they'll think Natsu is working with someone!"

Natsu cursed loudly and Lucy muffled back a deep groan. "You gotta hide!" Natsu hissed through his teeth.

He shoved Lucy around the room, her heels stumbling all the while and whipped around as Erza screeched in his ear. "Hurry up! Hide you guys hide!"

"Hide!" Natsu whispered at her again, harshly.

"Okay there is _minimalistic furniture in here!_" Lucy seethed darkly, being shoved again by Natsu's anxious hands.

Nowhere to hide, nowhere to hide.

The door knob jiggled and turned behind the pair. Lucy breathed out a hot curse at this. She stared up at Natsu, a burning pit of rage still bubbling over inside, but she knew better than to let this ruin their mission.

Lucy took a chance and made a last second choice, and the next thing she knew, she was ripping her collar apart. Buttons spilled everywhere as Lucy tore her shirt apart, and the only thing Natsu could do was gape at her as if she were demented. Her shirt thumped to the floor, leaving her in some frilly piece of lace she called a bra, and despite that bubbling pit of rage she still had consuming her, she did the only thing she could think of right now.

She grabbed Natsu and pulled him straight down to her height, pulled him straight down to her lips. And boy was this a conflict of certain feelings. She wound her arms around his neck as he stumbled at this action, his body falling into hers and a deep moan catching in both their throats. Gripping her waist, Natsu caught his balance. His eyes screwed shut as Lucy kissed him, quite fiercely might he add, and a storm of thoughts clouded his mind.

The first one? Holy _shit_ she was a good kisser.

The second? Holy _shit_ she was _Lucy_.

She didn't think twice about plunging her tongue into Natsu's mouth, she didn't hesitate at all, and he wondered with a frightening amount of confusion if she liked this as much as he did. He could taste many things as she did this, and the one thing he could distinguish?

Pure, livid, anger.

"Oh shit, sorry man." A chuckle broke the two apart.

Lucy willed herself away from Natsu and both their gazes went straight to Robin in the doorway. He stood there holding up a tiny slip of paper, and a smirk on his lips. "Damn, no wonder you were such in a hurry to get us outta here."

Natsu licked his lips from Lucy's lipstick, and managed out a weak laugh. "Uh yeah, she's uh–"

"Don't worry," Robin chuckled as he strolled over. He stuffed the paper in Natsu's coat pocket and switched his gaze between the two, "I won't snitch. Just tip her well, eh?"

Lucy blew up her cheeks to keep herself from doing something stupid. _This is what she wanted, this is what she wanted. _She reminded herself of that as Robin checked her out, up and down, and undoubtedly took a nice glance at her cleavage.

"Always do," Natsu gave a laugh of his own, and pulled her against him stiffly.

Watching as Lucy wound her fist around Natsu's tie to yank him closer, Robin decided it was his time to leave. A passive anger burned on Lucy's lips as she smirked at Natsu, who in return was trying hard not to choke from her hold. "He better," Lucy sang, her tone rich and thick enough to make the man swallow.

Robin laughed at the two and waved a careless hand, "That's the address for the meetup tomorrow Natsu. Don't stay up too late, eh? Don't be late."

Natsu felt his tie tighten around his neck and dug his nails deeply into Lucy's bare waist, causing her flinch and loosen up, "No promises," he told Robin, with a side glance.

Robin got the eager message and saluted to the two, with a devious smirk, and left them to themselves. As soon as that door clicked shut, Lucy smacked his hand away and shoved him to the back of the couch.

"A hooker, really?" Natsu snapped at her, or at least, tried snapping at her.

"What the hell else was I supposed to do? There was nowhere to _hide_," she bared her teeth as she glared daggers at him.

Natsu could still feel his tie about ten times too tight around his neck, but even when he tried to pull it back and forth to loosen it, it didn't ease up any. It was obvious she was still pissed as hell at him, but Natsu was afraid to say he wasn't on the same page anymore. He still tried being angry, believe him, but for some reason he couldn't pull it off anymore. All he could think about was that kiss, that single, one, _breathtaking_ kiss.

He was mad at her, oh yeah, but _damn_ was that not going to leave his head any time soon.

Natsu felt a hand in his pocket then and he nearly jumped out of his skin, but upon seeing Lucy stare at him knowingly, he instantly relaxed as she took the note Robin handed him. She flipped it open, "We got the address. We'll ambush it tomorrow and you better _hope_ my keys are there."

"They'll be there," Natsu rolled his eyes.

Lucy sneered at him, "Don't _roll_ your eyes at me, these are my keys! They're my life!"

"You don't think I know that!" Natsu hissed at her, glaring right into her burning brown irises. "They'll be there!"

Lucy shut her mouth with a heavy huff out her nose. She didn't dare break his gaze though, and neither of them had noticed how close they had drifted towards each other until a familiar proximity filled Natsu's head. He remembered vividly then how unbelievably _soft_ her lips were, and even with all the strength he owned, his eyes couldn't resist settling on them.

Her pink lipstick was smeared across her lips, but he found nothing more tantalizing than the mere sight of it. He felt a sudden itch to his fingers as he wished she would grab him and kiss him like that again.

"What?" she breathed out, finally, with a crease between her eyebrows.

Natsu blinked and darted his gaze away, grumbling lowly to himself. "Nothing."

Distance parted between the two, as well as silence and a thick layer of tension. Lucy blew a hair out from her face and took her torn shirt back from the floor and poked her arms through the sleeves. She went to button it, but remembered sorely that all of those buttons now laid at her feet, and sighed. She left her shirt open with a frown and a huff, and glanced back to Natsu staring at her openly.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at his now wandering ones.

"Well, I hate to ruin such a comfortable silence guys, but well done." Erza's voice echoed out suddenly.

Natsu froze. Lucy froze. Their minds melded.

Did they hear _everything?_

"Uh," Lucy sputtered, "Yeah?"

Silence ensued. A long silence. Oh man, they _so_ knew.

A loud snort sounded throughout everyone's ears then, and Lucy recognized it as Gray.

"I _knew_ I should have been the criminal."

* * *

The next day was a bit more on the calmer side. The meet up was today and the plan was all set to take the entire place out, though with Lucy now missing her keys, that might be a bit more harder than Erza had initially planned.

Not really because Lucy couldn't fight without them, but more along the lines of her giving Natsu an ice cold shoulder whenever he was in her presence. She ignored any word spoken to her, shrugged off any touch given to her, and glared daggers at the man anytime their eyes made the mistake of meeting.

Teamwork at it's finest.

Natsu couldn't remember the last time Lucy was this mad at him. Come to think of it, he doesn't think she was ever this mad at him. This was a record time for her grudges, they usually only lasted around an hour or two tops.

And he has say, he wished it was one of her usual grudges. Not necessarily because he didn't like her being mad at him, because he didn't, but the _way_ she was mad at him. It was so different than the other times. She was all frowny instead of pouty, she had this crease in between her eyebrows that might as well be an angered vein, and she did that thing with her tongue that just…_drove _him insane. She kept it poked inside her cheek, she would run it all along her teeth and suck on them, and this was one of the first times in Natsu's life that he cursed having dragon hearing because all he could hear all day was the little _'pop'_ of her tongue sucking against those damned teeth of hers. And you know what was _popped_ into his mind whenever he heard that?

Her tongue. Her lips. Hiding behind that cute as hell frown she bore at him and those demeaning eyes that pierced through his soul. He hated that he loved her like this. He hated how she could never really look angry if she tried because she was either_too damn sexy or too damn cute_.

"Natsu? Are you listening to me?" Erza's sharp tone snapped him back into reality. "Do you understand the plan?"

Natsu cleared his throat as he entered the place Robin had given to him the other night, "We've been over it twenty times. I got it."

The place was huge. It was an old mansion that was foreclosed and eventually abandoned, and ultimately the perfect place to stash a bunch of shit without worrying about it being found. Natsu soon enough met up with his little criminal friends, who were hanging around the rotting couches in the living room, and thus began the amazing deal Natsu had concocted.

During the ordeal though, Natsu couldn't help but notice how many more people began to come out of random places around him. They came from every room and hallway, and he wondered then just how many of these guys they were dealing them. Erza had said she would scope the place out, but she wasn't able to get an accurate reading without blowing their cover.

"So, I have my part. I ain't showin' it until I see yours." Natsu spoke, clearly and boldly.

The bearded man smirked at this as he rested on a couch and nodded of understanding. He waved to some person and held out his cigar, "Alright, alright. Harvy, get to the basement, bring it all."

Natsu couldn't help but smirk at this. "Basement huh?" Natsu repeated, loud and clear for everyone to hear.

Cigar man switched his view back to Natsu and narrowed his eyes. He pierced them straight through the man, and Natsu didn't even try at hiding his deceiving flash. He shot up from his seat, "What the hell is this!–"

Natsu shot out a blast of fire to surround him from an variety of attacks, and shouted out the codeword to the rest of his team. Gray busted through the window above to join Natsu and Erza and Lucy went for the relics where Natsu said.

It was a simple plan, Gray and Natsu hold off the fugitives while Lucy and Erza obtain all the relics and get them safe, but what no one had expected was the_ security system_ that cigar man had placed.

And that was a near army of mages patrolling the entire mansion.

* * *

"_Okay!_" Lucy seethed out, after being hit rather well by a blast of flying magic rocks, "Sorry I'm not much of a help Erza, if I had my _keys_ then I'm sure we would be done and out of here by now!"

She sent a mile long glare to Natsu, who was busy beating up a guy himself, and used her whip to apprehend another fugitive.

Natsu sent her glare right back at her, but before anyone could retort Erza spoke up as she blew threw as many people as she could. "Just keep them off me! I'm getting the relics out of here!"

With that and a few more curses, Erza disappeared to find the basement. Natsu was too busy trying to knock cigar man off his feet to even notice though. He was an unusual one; rather special powers he had. Apparently that cigar he had in his mouth literally 24/7 was significant, because that smoke he kept puffing out was a thing of itself.

A smoke monster. Yep. How the hell do you beat smoke?

After a few trial and errors, Natsu began feeling a little flustered. He eyed the gruff man, or, more specifically, the keychain he had hooked to his belt that glittered even in all this smoke. Lucy's keys. He thought furiously as he kept up his attacks, before he realized something very obvious.

Take out the smoke source, you take out the smoke right?

Right. Natsu wasted no time aiming for that stupid cigar now, and soon enough, that old thing was a pile of ash at both their feet. And so was the man who owned it. Taking the golden keys from his chain, Natsu couldn't help but grin to himself.

Now, to find Lucy.

He darted all around the giant mansion, searching in and out of dozens of rooms, and finally found the blonde literally smashing the kitchen to pieces. He busted in the door and was nearly met with a brass knuckle to his nose, before a familiar heart shaped whip curled around the attackers ankle and smacked him straight back down to the floor.

Natsu's pleased smile was met with a sharp glare. And boy, could he see why. He figured Lucy might have a harder time trying to keep up without her keys, (and considering how she did before, she was doing great!) but with the security system and all, it looked as if she was a little overwhelmed.

Bloody scratches covered most of her unveiled skin and her cheeks were bright red and even a little purple. She'd taken a few hits, to be blunt. Hand to hand combat wasn't her specialty, but Natsu was happy to see her managing. She was smart, she knew what she could handle and use to her advantage, and at that moment, her surroundings was about all she had.

That, and her unsatisfied anger.

"Oh great! Look who's here, come to take my whip now?" Lucy laughed with a bitter iciness, dodging a rough punch headed for her. She ducked and took a frying pan she found laying by her feet and smashed it straight into the guys face, sending him plunking to the ground.

Natsu tried his best not to glare at the girl, but with the way she was having to go through these guys now (in a more harsh way than usual), he found himself trying to keep a level head with her.

"Are you still mad at me? Even now?" Natsu questioned, with a sharp slip of his tongue. He punched a fugitive heading straight towards him.

"Oh no!" Lucy laughed, stumbling out of the way of a metal coated fist flying right at her, "Why would I be mad! It's not like I'm trying to fight two dozen murderous fugitives without any magic right?"

She made the mistake of stopping to glare at her partner, and Natsu watched with a flinch as that metal fist connected with her face with a rather sickening _crunch_. She staggered back and hissed out loudly, before she whipped back up and gripped the swinging door next to her. She ducked out of the way and slammed it _straight _into the man's head. Splinters exploded everywhere and the fugitive collapsed, and all Natsu was faced with now was the heaving blonde as blood slipped from the corner of her mouth.

She attempted to wipe it away but pulled back with a pained hiss as she touched her swollen lips, and for some reason, after that entire episode, she was still too full of rage to even revel on it long enough to forget about the traitor in her presence.

"I can't believe you _auctioned_ off my keys, just for this stupid mission." She spat out, back to glaring daggers at her friend.

"If I didn't then we wouldn't _be_ here Lucy," Natsu defended, sending a bandit flying into the plaster of the wall. "Would you get off my back already?"

"Get off your _back?_" Lucy scoffed out, her voice squeaky and offended, "You are such an insensitive, selfish _prick!_"

Natsu rolled his eyes at this again, _dramatically_, and felt a sharp pain to his shoulder. He gaped at Lucy now, who had undoubtedly _punched_ him, and was now sending hit after hit to any part of him he could reach. "You're really fighting me now! When we're in the middle of being _attacked?_"

"_Yes!_" Lucy snapped, stabbing her heel into his leg, "You deserve it!"

Natsu pondered on actually giving the crazy her keys back, but after yelping out of pain and simultaneously taking on a_multitude_ of different attacks, he decided that she was the one not deserving anything at the moment.

"Oh and _they_ don't?" Natsu barked at her, pointing straight at the bloodthirsty pack of fugitives he was currently fending off, "They've actually killed people before!"

"You could've killed eternal celestial spirits!" Lucy snapped back, snatching some poor guy up in her whip.

"_Spirits can't be killed!_"

"I don't _care!_" Lucy hissed, punching his shoulder again when she got a free moment, "You're an asshole!"

Natsu sent whoever was on him flying away with a massive burst of fire and snatched Lucy's arm in his grasp. He glowered at her as she froze in his grasp. Her chest heaved up and down heavily, but there was still a fire in her eyes. And as much as Natsu was pissed at her for being so pissed at him, he found he couldn't help but be completely entranced at how she stared at him. Her lip was still smeared with blood and her cheeks were red with pain, but Natsu noticed something that knocked him off for a second.

A sparkle in her eye. A gleam, that lasted less than a second. The same one he saw the moment before she grabbed him and kissed him in that unbelievable way he remembered. That memory came flooding back into his mind, and he swore he felt breathless already. She was trembling in his grasp, and whether it was because she was exhausted or on edge because of the fighting, or even because she was about to explode from an anger overload, he found himself loving everything about it. Everything about her.

She never got fired up like this before, and boy did he love seeing her when she did.

Natsu didn't realize what he was doing until his hand was behind her neck, and he was tasting the metallic iron on his lips. He felt a giant weight lift off his shoulders as he finally got to recreate that memory he thought of so much, and in fact, it was better than he imagined. The mansion was collapsing around them, fire was burning, lots of yelling and running, and all Natsu could think of was how _stupidly _happy he was.

That feeling was short lived though, before Lucy pushed him away a second after she kissed him back. "Don't kiss me when I'm mad!" she seethed out, but her tone wasn't nearly as lethal as it was before, and Natsu noticed this with a hearty grin.

"You kissed me when I was mad," he defended, casually.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at his knowing, crooked grin, and set a frown on her lips. "We were _undercover_."

Natsu couldn't help but laugh at this quietly as he stared at her. She was trying so hard to be mad again, but she couldn't capture that livid essence she once did before. And Natsu was beyond happy to know that he was the one that caused her downfall. She still attempted at keeping up her facade, but Natsu saw right through it. And she knew he did.

"Who says we're not undercover right now?" Natsu questioned, with a lift of his eyebrow.

Lucy stared at him quietly, and there she went again with her teeth sucking. She was trying _so_ hard to be mad, and it was _so_unbelievably cute. Natsu couldn't help but let a smile slip onto his lips at the sight of her.

His lips still tasted of her blood, and while that was a little weird, he forgot all about it the second she smiled at him too. Her lips twisted into a tight little smirk, and the next thing Natsu knew, his tie was being wound around a certain fist and his neck was being tugged down onto a pair of badly broken lips. Natsu all but lifted her off her feet.

Lucy found herself laughing against his grin, and while they both had reveled in the intriguing sense of anger to fuel their abnormal attraction, it was safe to say that both of them liked kissing each other out of happiness instead. It was eager and giddy and even a little messy, but it was better than either of them imagined.

Especially when Lucy was faced with a certain golden keychain when Natsu had suddenly pulled away. With a shriek and another glomp of a hug and kiss, the pair heard Erza and Gray calling for them to made their escape.

And so they did. Happily, of course. At least, up until Erza accused them of slacking off during the fight. Then they were at it again.

Well, what can Natsu say? He didn't like being the _only_ one getting all fired up.

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	41. Infamous Duo

**Infamous Duo**

**"Drunken +Against a Wall" Kiss**

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Everyone knew the duo pair. Natsu and Lucy from Fiore University were practically infamous in their little college. Everyone knew their names and their faces, and if they didn't, then they at least knew a story or two from many of their legendary adventures. You couldn't have Fiore University without the two. You couldn't have protests or clubs without them, but the one thing that was mandatory to know on campus, was that you couldn't have a _party_ without the two.

At least, if you wanted a good one.

Natsu and Lucy met each other on the first day of their freshman year and no has seen them apart since then. They were inseparable. They complemented their contrasts perfectly and was ultimately the most unlikely duo anyone had laid eyes on. Though, they fit together like a puzzle. Natsu was insane about parties, he believed that if there wasn't at least _one_ broken nose then it wasn't a real party. He had the gut of a dragon when it came to food and beer, and enough madness and happiness to spread around twice over.

Lucy on the other hand was the social butterfly. If Natsu didn't know someone, Lucy sure did. She held this breathy confidence about her that everyone surrounding couldn't help but imitate. If a party was feeling down and timid with a bunch of strangers too scared to say anything, Lucy was the ultimate cure to fix that right up. She was a beacon of sunshine to all the party games and stories. Though, when it came to drinking, she was a pretty big lightweight. She talked and met new people (if there was a slither of a chance she didn't already know them) and about halfway through the party it only took a drink or two to catch her up with the rest of the drunks. Then, all hell broke loose.

No one's heard of a party that _didn't_ explode with both Natsu and Lucy there. If one happened to show up without the other, it always felt like something wasn't there. A missing piece of the puzzle. There was no connection without Lucy, and without Natsu there was no exciting atmosphere. You had to have both, and lucky for everyone else, the two had no plans in the future of splitting up. It was dark days when the pair had a fight in sophomore year for a week, they both went their separate ways and it was like chaos, and not in the fun way. They quickly made up though and were back to being the best duo the college had ever heard of.

It was the end of finals week now, everyone had finished their exams and had a breath to finally relax. People were jolly and full of joy, so the first thing anyone hears about was the party at the Frat house at 7:30. And Natsu and Lucy were the first ones to be invited. Everyone knew, you couldn't have a party without them. And if you were the lucky one to host one of the amazing parties, it was like the pair telling you themselves that you were one of their closest friends.

No one could get closer than these two, though.

Natsu and Lucy arrived at the Frat house at 8:04, side by side, and came in to see the party going well by itself already. It could be so much better, though. Obviously.

"This party sucks, what the hell's goin' on!" Natsu yelled, happily becoming the center of attention already.

Everyone cheered at the sight of the two, Natsu along with them and Lucy giving a little curtsy. They saw some familiar faces and some new ones around, well, to Natsu anyways. Lucy waved at the whole room of people she already met before, and was happy to see some closer friends of theirs here as well.

Such as, Cana Alberona. The only person in Fiore history to outdrink Natsu and everyone else on campus. She was a mighty legend herself. If Natsu had a gut of a dragon, she had a gut of twelve. Right by her side was another very familiar, eyecatching face. Loke the playboy, host of today's party and stronghold of the Frat house. His looks could make any girl or boy swoon, it was almost unbelievable how good looking he was.

These two together were also, an unlikely pair.

"Look who finally came, ready to get your ass kicked again pinkey?" Cana said, her tone already drawling from the amount of drinks she's consumed. Her cheeks were about as pink as Natsu's hair.

"Rematch, right now," Natsu demanded with a wicked grin. He hated to lose anything.

Cana smiled at him challengingly, but Lucy tugged on Natsu's bicep before he could plunge into whatever alcoholic concoction she stirred up to knock him out with. "Not yet, not yet! We can't get drunk without knowing who's here first, c'mon!"

Lucy skipped up onto the wooden coffee table that everyone was surrounding and twirled around in her little pleated skirt to face her audience. She whistled to shut everybody up and all eyes went to her bright ones, delightfully. "I think to get things started, we should all get together and–"

"No way!" Natsu interjected with a snort. Lucy was up in the air a second later by her waist and laughter erupted from both of them. She was taken off the table and replaced by Natsu and his mischievous grin instead. "It wouldn't be a party without pranks! Everyone grab the closest person by you and throw them in the pool!"

Cheering broke out from half the crowd, and booing from the other half. Natsu was already getting everyone hyped up though, and Lucy scoffed loudly. She hopped up right by his side on the table and clacked her heels loudly. "You can't start with pranks! No one knows each other, it would just be a bunch of strangers pissing each other off! What _I_ think we should do–"

Lucy waited until everyone quieted down and held up a finger, a sly little smile slipping onto her lips. "We should play some games first. Let everyone get comfortable with each other and see who we have here, eh?"

A variety of agreeable noises surfaced from the crowd, and even a flirty whistle sounded through. Lucy liked having everyone know each other. She didn't like those parties where barely anyone spoke to each other except the people they already knew. It didn't matter what you looked like or what you wore, it was impossible not to meet new people with her on the premises. It was more fun that way.

With Lucy setting everyone up together and Natsu's declaration of drinks right after, the party was well on their way of being a good one. There wasn't that many people there, everyone could manage to fit in the Frat house basement together so this was an easy job for Lucy today. It was still jammed packed though, just as Natsu liked it.

Soon enough, after a few rounds of drinking games to get everyone nice and tipsy and a few rounds of Kiss or Slap to get everyone comfortable together, Lucy had found herself interrupted from her lively conversation with a cute boy with Natsu collapsing on her on the couch. He slumped right next to her, completely out of it (as he had lost another round to Cana by the keg) and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at his sluggish movements. She was actually relieved to see him, she hadn't in so long she got worried that whoever brought the sexy dice might have captured him.

"You can't beat her, she will forever be the Queen." Lucy told him, with a sympathetic rub of his back. Natsu's eyes were swirling.

"Fine. I give up." he mumbled in dismay, his cheek falling to her shoulder.

Finding amusement in this, Lucy allowed him to slouch all over her, which, she rarely allowed because he tended to drool when he was too out of it. Soon enough she forgot all about him and was sucked right back into another conversation, but a loud snore managed to snap her back into her senses. She gaped as Natsu had actually fallen _asleep_ on her, but bewilderment was her main emotion. He hadn't even gotten to his crazy antics in the party and he was already knocked out. He hadn't even gotten in his signature fight yet, no one had a broken nose!

Deciding this was, well, _unacceptable_, Lucy deviously thought of an idea. She remembered specifically that Natsu wanted pranks early on, so she figured she should give him exactly what he wished for. Finding her magic wand in the table drawer, Lucy hovered above Natsu's sleeping form and thanked the idiot for being the heaviest sleep known to man.

Lucy uncapped her magic wand (which by the way, was in the shape of a giant sharpie marker) and thus began her work of art. People crowded around to watch her and before they knew, she was capping the marker again, with a mighty smug smile. The few distant laughs had it growing with every second.

"Wait, I forgot kitty whiskers~" she said, reaching down to Natsu again.

Lucy only got to do one side before a hand snatched her wrist, a shriek spilling from her lips. Natsu jerked awake at her proximity and everyone busted out laughing as she slipped and fell straight onto him, the two now a tangled mess of the broken down couch. Lucy was laughing uncontrollably as Natsu stared at her blatantly with his scrawlings and caged her against the arm rest. "What the hell are you doing?"

She couldn't even manage an answer. Because of the others around laughing at him as well, and the apparent marker he had found in her hand, Natsu could have only guessed he'd gotten his payback. This was a constant occurrence between the pair. Every party they went to, one of them always ended up passed out, and every time the other found them, out came the markers and inappropriate drawings. Back and forth, back and forth, both of them refused to settle this rivalry.

It was Lucy's turn now, as it was obviously shown by the 'VIRGIN AND PROUD' written on his forehead and two cheeks, also accompanied by the half mask of kitty whiskers.

Natsu caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrors Loke literally had everywhere, and flicked his gaze back down to Lucy being a giggle monster. Even she was a little tipsy by now, because this wasn't the worst she had done before, and was obviously off her game.

"I can deal with it," he shrugged, hopping off of Lucy's body and to his feet. He was all rested up and full of energy now, and ready to really bring some life to the party.

Lucy joined by his side, as expected, and the two were off again into the crowd of couples dancing rather provocatively amongst each other. "C'mon, I'm ready to kick someone's ass!" Natsu had shouted above the music, but before Lucy could either agree or disagree, they both were stopped short by a sight neither of them thought they would ever see, but utterly impressed that they hadn't seen it sooner.

"God really? You two?" Lucy gawked, her tone deep in disapproval as her eyes feasted upon the kissing couple.

Cana pulled away from Loke at that moment, wiping her lips and grinned greatly at the duo. Her arms were wrapped around Loke's as he had her pressed up against the wall, his hands certainly searching for something underneath her shirt.

"What?" Cana prodded, petting his ginger hair seductively, "He's pretty."

Loke gave an award winning smile at that then, his eyes glancing all over Lucy in a drunken stupor, "Don't worry babe, there's still plenty of me to go around."

He nearly failed at giving a wink at the blonde, but Loke would rather die than blow a chance at flirting with the infamous Lucy Heartfilia.

"Oh that's not it," Lucy snorted a laugh, "I just didn't take you two as that horny couple who made out the entire party, and then mysteriously disappeared afterwords. Well, Loke maybe, but Cana~"

Natsu straightened up then, "Yeah, Cana last I saw you were passed out by the pool."

She flicked a hair over her shoulder, "So were you."

Natsu thought a minute, before giving a reluctant shrug of agreement. "Plus, he's wasted," Cana added, replying to Lucy's little comment now.

"So is she."

"So am I." Cana nodded, wounding her arms tighter around Loke's neck now, and she felt a seductive giggle bubble up as his lips pressed against her jaw bone.

"It's not like either of us will remember this in the morning." Loke said, nonchalantly, and kissed her skin again, "Might as well go with it."

Natsu and Lucy were left to themselves as the two ultimately forgot about their conversation and went back to each others tongues, and as soon as Loke hand started slipping from out of sight again, Lucy pulled Natsu away to find some other source of entertainment.

The two soon found another pair, though instead of making out they were perched right by the ping pong table with a challenging gleam. Sting and Rogue were the names of (other than Loke) the most smug boys in the Frat house. Those two were as similar as twins, and everything except their appearances showed that. Their personalities, their mannerisms, the same lame catchphrases, they shared everything. It was really quite annoying, yet also intriguing in their own way.

"You two care for a game? I'd love to kick both your asses in the same night," Sting laughed comically.

"Ping pong?" Lucy inquired.

"Better," Rogue caught her gaze as he set up a pyramid of plastic cups on the green felt of the table.

"Beer pong," Lucy corrected herself, with a mighty grin at that.

Natsu laughed loudly at this, as if he had just heard the joke of the century. He slung an arm around Lucy's shoulders and grinned devilishly as the frat boys. "_You're on._"

The game had caught wind throughout the basement and dozens of people had come to surround the pairs in one of their most intense games yet. People were hollering and cheering drunkenly, and that only served as a major confidence boost to both teams, with equally competitive partners that desperately needed to win.

Lucy couldn't remember the last time she had drunken so much. She wasn't even that big a fan of drinking! Though, with this obviously important game on the fence, she wouldn't dare count herself out now. The score went back and forth between the two, they often tied, and then one team scored another point to gain the advantage, and then they tied again. They were perfectly matched for this.

The game was 'first to twenty takes all', and so far it could be anyone's game. The score was 19-19, and all Lucy had to do was dunk the last ping pong ball to win. Then, the infamous duo could continue at having the longest streak of beer pong wins on campus in one year.

And Lucy had no problem with accurately throwing the ball into the cup! Except, when she was seeing doubles and the table was suddenly a seesaw, that was when it became a bit of a doozy for her. She struggled with simply standing up straight. Rogue had obviously slipped Cana's concoction into these cups, whatever that was, but there was no doubt that the alcohol percentage of the drink was well over 75%. And having _twenty _of those drinks was enough to make anyone want to pass out on the pool table.

"C'mon Lucy, just one more shot!" Natsu's cheery voice flooded into her ears. The place was so loud with shouting and music she was convinced she'd gone deaf over a hour ago.

Lucy blinked constantly to try and clear her vision, but that one simple cup seemed so far away. Natsu was cheering her on, the whole Frat house was cheering her on, she could do this right? Natsu couldn't afford to lose, especially not against these two. His rivalry with them was almost as infamous as he himself. He would crumble if he lost to these two pricks.

Lucy steadied herself with a hand on the felt table and closed a single eye to single out one of those spinning cups. She held the orange ping pong ball in her hand and breathed out slowly. Natsu watched anxiously with a knuckle between his teeth as she tossed the ball over the net, and everything seemed to slow down even more than he was already accustomed to.

The ball hit the rim of the cup, and nearly tipped it completely over, before it bounced right back and dunked _straight_ into the liquid. Everyone _busted_ out into a deafening holler of shouts and Natsu had never felt so overcome with joy in his life. He snatched Lucy right up over his shoulder and cheered out with everyone else at the tops of his lungs, hearing a distant, "Did I get it?!"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu shouted as he set her down. He beamed at her and she happily replicated it, but that moment only lasted a few seconds before Natsu was right back in Sting and Rogue's faces, shoving their victory right back to them.

Natsu called for a celebration then and the whole party was happy to oblige with his proposition. Out came more drinks and food and better music and the whole shebang. The duo was at it again, this party probably going to be named for 'the best way to end the semester', _again_, and they both were as proud as ever to be the cause of it.

Now, as they both had gotten stupidly drunk and were about a sip away from collapsing, the party had found itself dialing down a bit more. Everyone was in an euphoric sense of guilty pleasure, some still dancing, most sitting around talking and laughing, and Natsu found himself lugging around a curvaceous blonde one second away from having to be carried home. She was still most definitely conscious though, and as always when she drank too much, she was as bubbly and affectionate as ever.

"You're such a good friend Natsu," Lucy slurred, her voice all high and squeaky with affection.

Natsu struggled with keeping her upright, and finally got her to balance on her heels. She kept her arms wound around his neck though and he found himself being pulled into a tight hug. He laughed and hugged her back, hearing her excitedly squeal. "This was such a great party!"

Natsu nodded in agreement, his own senses wavering as he saw doubles of his best friend. "I know! And you made it a night without your shirt coming off!"

"I know!" Lucy laughed loudly, jumping up and down.

She glomped onto him again and hugged him even tighter around his neck. Natsu nearly fell backwards on his feet, but he caught her and his step in the last second.

"You're gonna kill me with that," Natsu said with a crack in his voice.

Lucy eased up off him and gaped, her eyes gleaming in worry, "Oh I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm just so happy! Tonight was so great, _we_ were so great!"

Natsu stared at Lucy in his arms, she had still refused to let go of him, but her sunshine smile was enough to let his mind whoosh right past it. Her brown eyes gleamed so joyously that he found he couldn't help but smile too. "We were, we _always _are!" he picked her up off her feet for a second, her body sliding closer, "We're a team!"

"The _best_ team," Lucy drawled, her smile unintentionally crooked, as she had subconsciously begun to mimic off of her best friend. She gave another bubbly laugh and Natsu joined right in to her little giggle fest. Seconds passed and Lucy only seemed to laugh harder with every passing one as she stared at Natsu's smeared face of black sharpie, but his arms that encircled her kept her from falling backwards and drifting away from him.

Though, with that, Natsu didn't count on him being the one who needed support from falling backwards. He soon found this out as he felt something unusual be pressed onto his lips, when one of his drunken blinks lasted a bit too long. His eyes slid open, heavily, and he realized then that it was _Lucy_. Her body all but slumped onto him again and he found himself stumbling his back into the wall of the basement, harshly, and his eyes pressed closed again.

She was kissing him. Lucy. She was kissing Natsu. It was fiery and hot and eager and Natsu was not prepared for it at all. He felt her fingers in his hair and her chest pressed up to his, but the only thing he could accurately focus on was how incredibly _soft_ her lips were. She slid her hands down from his hair to hold his face and just as Natsu had decided he wanted to kiss back, she pulled away, with a hint of a smile.

"Holy shit," she said, swallowing harshly, "I didn't mean to do that."

Natsu couldn't help but laugh as she realized her mistake and action, she looked utterly embarrassed and shy suddenly, but even he could tell that she didn't regret it in the least.

"Would it be bad if we did it again?" she asked him, her eyes gleaming genuine curiosity.

Natsu found himself shaking his head before his jumbled thoughts could even catch up with him. "Definitely not!"

Lucy's head jerked back as he leaned in to her lips, a giant, pleading smile showing instead, "No wait!" He froze at that, tearing his eyes away from the one thing he wanted most at the moment, and saw her pout adorably. "I want to kiss you."

Natsu grin resurfaced at that, and she closed the distance between them now and kissed him again. His back found the wall again, roughly, and Lucy giggled into his mouth as she trapped him against it. Her arms snaked around his neck again and their kisses grew deeper and more intimate, fierce and eager again, for what seemed like ages.

The two found themselves reluctantly pulled apart though and a familiar voice drifted through their ears. "Looky here Loke! It's the hypocrites."

Loke tsked with an arm slung around Cana's shoulders, his playful eyes flicking between the both of them. "Don't you just hate that pair at a party who makes out the entire time?"

Lucy licked her lips guiltily and settled back on her heels from trying to match Natsu's height. "It wasn't the whole night," she tried to defend herself.

"Ah, but it looks like it'll be for the rest of the night." Cana winked at them both, biting her lip seductively.

Before any more words could be said Cana led Loke away with a certain gleam in her eye that spoke to Lucy, causing a hot blush to rise up on her cheeks. She managed down a twisted smile, pouting deeply at the girl before she disappeared into the thinning crowd.

"Can I kiss you now?" Natsu asked, snapping Lucy back into their little reality. He stared at her patiently and anxiously, before a smile slipped onto her lips. She nodded happily, and her lips were taken in a blink before she knew it.

Seeing Cana and Loke brought back some distant memories to Natsu that seemed like so long ago. They really were hypocrites, but at the same time he wished they weren't. He didn't want to be like one of those people who make out at a party for a night and that's it. He felt it was more of a Cana and Loke thing, not him and Lucy.

Natsu found his lips moving quite differently than before. The more he thought on this, the more distracted his kisses seemed. They didn't kiss out of heat and passion anymore, and Natsu found he liked kissing her more fervently and sweetly as well. He didn't realize he had slowed down so much until their lips parted, and never rejoined.

"I don't want to forget this in the morning, Lucy." he said.

Lucy stared at him and felt her stomach squeeze at that thought. She had never considered they might not even remember this when they wake up tomorrow. No matter how great it was.

She wound her arms around his neck tighter in reply though. "I don't think we'll forget."

Natsu switched his eyes between her confident ones, and couldn't help but feel gloomy. "You think so?"

Lucy offered him a tiny smile, and that was enough to perk him right back up. "I don't know about you, but I don't think I could ever forget the day I kissed my best friend like this. No party in the world could be better than this, right now."

"I won't forget." she declared to him, and there she went again with that breathy confidence that everyone just loved to soak up. Natsu sure did, most of all.

"Me neither," he said. His smile went crooked as he stared at her, and she felt no better feeling than the twist in her gut as he held her tighter. "Even if I am seeing two of you right now."

Lucy laughed at that loudly, probably harder than she should've, and stumbled back on her feet. Her heel came stomping down then and landed straight onto Natsu's bare foot, a yelp blurting out of his mouth. He immediately bent over to cradle his toe, but what he didn't expect was for Lucy to try and cover her gasp with her hands, and right at that moment–

_WHAM!_

Those usually very soft, never-in-her-life-has-done-manual-labor hands smashed _straight_ into Natsu's nose. Another prolonged groan came from him then as he staggered back against the wall to hold his nose. Lucy really did gasp now, but with all that alcohol still flooding her system, that gasp turned out to be more of a deeply ridden laugh.

Natsu felt something sticky coat his hand as he cradled his nose, and sure enough, it was blood. His nose was bleeding.

In most circumstances Natsu would have been furious, but in this particular one he found no greater amusement than this entire ordeal. He burst out laughing as well with his inseparable partner, and soon enough both of them found themselves sitting side by side against the Frat house basement wall, with a plastic cup in both of their hands and a box of tissues.

Well, you know how it goes. You can't have a party without a broken nose.

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**I changed up my style in this one and I really liked it!**

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	42. Flirt

**Flirt**

**"Jealous Kiss"**

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"Do we really have to stop by here?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the loud whine behind herself. Natsu was dragging his feet sluggishly down the paved road, his back slumped from the crushing weight of his luggage and patience thinning. He stared at Lucy as she turned back to him, stopping from her path to the bookshop.

"You wanted to come along, Natsu." she reminded, in an annoyingly chirpy tone.

He grumbled as he continued behind her, tugging his feet up the stairs to the entrance. "Only because I thought you'd buy me stuff."

Lucy glanced back with a vague narrow of her eyes, and disappeared into the mass of bookshelves and display tables. The place was small and quaint, and Natsu never really understood why she liked it so much. It seemed claustrophobic to him.

"I did buy you something," she said, from somewhere Natsu couldn't see. He looked around for her, not exactly all that curious to look around himself, and scoffed out.

"You buying me the perfect present to give to you, doesn't count as buying me something."

Natsu found her crouched in the fiction section, not seeming to notice how short her skirt really was, and leaned on the bookshelf beside her. "Plus, I like my own gifts. They're homemade."

Lucy mumbled a sneer, looking up to him with amusement in her eyes. "Yeah, that's why I got you one instead. This way we both win. I get a present that's useful and you win at getting _me_the best present."

She tapped his nose playfully as she said that, spinning on her heel with a book in her hand. He merely grumbled at that, reluctantly following her footsteps. "They come from the heart."

Lucy laughed loudly at that, glancing over her shoulder with the word _'bullshit'_ practically airing off of her. She turned to look at another section, running her pink nails over the spines of the books. "Last Christmas you got me a _t-shirt_."

Natsu stared at her intensely, "_And it came from the heart!_"

Lucy glowered at him. "It wasn't even a _girl_ shirt, it was yours! It was old and used and all ripped up and you didn't even wear it anymore."

"I thought it was nice." Natsu defended, frowning. "Like something to remember me by."

Lucy arched an eyebrow, her eyes back to scanning the novels in front of her. "And why would I need to remember you? It's not like you're going anywhere. And believe me, I have enough of your junk at my house. Just because you put a pretty bow on it, doesn't make it any more memorable."

Natsu shrugged at that, casually, "Well _duh_, I'm not going anywhere. I just meant on a more…daily basis. You might stay in one day, see that amazing present and decide to wear it. And when you put it on, you remember, _'Wow, this is such a nice present. Natsu is the best friend I could ever ask for, I really should be nicer to him. He deserves it. Just look at how much love he puts into his gifts.'_"

Lucy chuckled, flipping through a book and nodded along in entertainment. "So, it's a brainwashing technique? Nice to know."

Natsu rolled his eyes now, crossing his arms, "I really did think of you when I got you that. I put a lot of heart into it, whatever you say."

Lucy's expression scrunched up at that, sucking on her teeth in a pensive suspicion. "So, my place in your heart is the equivalent to a musty t-shirt? Gee, and people say we're inseparable."

Natsu scratched his neck, "Well, I washed it. I don't think–"

"Shh." Lucy hushed him suddenly, putting a hand up. She appeared completely distracted now, though Natsu took it as something else.

"It was only a little dir–"

"Shh!" Lucy whispered harshly, pinching his lips shut. "He's here today."

She had her eyes peeking out from behind the bookcases, stealthily, and Natsu stared at her in confusion. She turned back to him with a wide and jittery gaze, a giant smile on her lips. "I have seen that guy _so_ many times here and every time he checks me out."

Lucy stood right the end of the bookshelves, glancing towards the counters near checkout and smiled at a young man 'casually' standing by with a book. He saw her smile towards him and offered one of his own, with a wave.

"He's so cute." Lucy commented, looking back to Natsu in the aisle. "And he reads all my favorite books!"

Natsu mimicked her excited squeal sarcastically, "_Amazing!_"

Lucy didn't even notice his tone. She smiled way to wide, glancing at him again, before a sense of doubt filled her. She looked back to Natsu, twiddling her fingers nervously. "Do you think I should ask him out? What do you think? God, I haven't been on a date in like a year…"

Lucy couldn't even remember the last person she went on a date with, only that it ended very _terribly_. It was her fault really, she should have known better than to introduce him to her guild on only the third date.

"I guess." Natsu shrugged, not really interested in ogling guys with her.

Lucy seemed to perk up at this, not exactly listening to him as well, and smiled widely to herself. "_Yeah_. I will–I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go ask him out!"

She pressed her hands to her cheeks then, "Oh man, I don't even know how I'll do it. I haven't done this in so long. Quick look, is he looking at me?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow, standing on his toes to peek over the line of bookshelves. He saw whoever she must be referring to, and sure enough, he was trying really hard to seem inconspicuous about staring at her. His eyes switched back and forth between her and the book in his hand, though it was obvious he seemed nervous himself.

"Yeah," Natsu said, falling back down on his feet.

Lucy's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "He is? Really? Do I look cute?"

She brushed her nails through her hair and bangs and stared at her friend intensely. Natsu took a moment to study her, glancing up from her pleated skirt to the big brown eyes trained on him. He shrugged a shoulder, scratching the back of his hair. "You look like you do everyday."

Lucy groaned at his useless comment and rolled her eyes dramatically. Natsu shrunk at her irritated gaze, now realizing that probably wasn't the best answer.

"Whatever, I'm gonna go talk to him. I just gotta…" she puffed her chest out with a breath of confidence, and exhaled a mischievous smirk. "Turn on my charm."

Natsu smiled at that, holding back a chortle. "You mean letting him look down your shirt?"

Lucy whipped her gaze to him, annoyed, but not denying it. "Hey, I only do that when I want free stuff! That's a different charm."

Natsu felt her book be pushed into his hands, and gave another measly shrug. "Whatever you say."

In reply, Lucy lifted her shirt up to cover her cleavage, and walked away with a huff. Natsu peeked around the corner and watched as she approached the guy, a sudden smile adorning her face that could practically blind a man. She came and leaned against the counter he was on, flicking her hair over her shoulder and 'turning on her charm' as Natsu supposed.

Natsu would have eavesdropped if the place wasn't so loud with customers. He wondered again why the place wasn't silent like libraries, they were practically the same thing. He only watched though, and the two made a very interesting conversation, and he noticed then how…different Lucy was acting. He had never truly seen her flirting (when she wasn't getting free stuff out of it), and he had to admit: she was right. It was a different type of charm.

She was acting all girlishly, she kept her head tilted in a cute admiration sort of way, she batted her eyelashes and pursed her lips. She swayed back and forth and giggled like whatever he was saying was the most adorable thing in the world. She got all close to him, leaning on the counter next to his book, and just…completely entranced him. He was gone in the eyes, staring at her like she was the center of the universe.

Even Natsu had to admit that he was taken by her. For a moment there, at least. He wondered then, why she never acted like that around him. Why she never turned on her charm for him. He had never really noticed until now, but she did do this more often than he realized. She did stuff like that with Gray sometimes, when they talked all weird together first thing in the morning. It was never as blatant as right now of course, but she would always bat an eyelash or two as they greeted each other. She did that with a lot of guys, unconsciously he supposed, but never with him.

Natsu wondered what made him different.

Lucy and the guy finished up their little flirt fest and she came back over with a jolly skip in her step. She pounced right in front of him and was grinning like a mad scientist. "Guess who still has it? _This girl!_ We're going out tomorrow night!"

"A date?" Natsu asked, handing back her book.

"Mmhm!" she hummed excitedly, holding up a scrap piece of paper, "I got his number. His name is _Nico_. How cute is that? I love that name. _Nico_."

Natsu couldn't help but grimace at her. "It's just a name."

Lucy flitted her eyes to his then, frowning sympathetically and gave a soft pat to his shoulder. "Oh, it's okay, I know. If I were a guy, I would want that name over my own too."

Natsu stared at her, thinking, and knitted his eyebrows together as she walked away. He scoffed out then, offended.

"What's wrong with _my_ name?"

* * *

Blue or black, blue or black. Lucy couldn't decide. She stared at the pair of shoes in her closet, intently, and hummed out an inconclusive sigh.

"Natsu, pick a color–"

"Red."

Lucy perked up at that quick answer, turning back to him slumped all over her couch. "Red? With this dress?"

He shrugged at that, his head dangling off the edge of the sofa and eyes crossed as he tried to read a picture on the wall. "You look good in red."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, she bet that he hadn't even noticed what she was wearing. He and Happy were too busy raiding her fridge the entire time she took to pick out her outfit.

"I meant between blue and black, they're the only colors that match." She insisted, turning back to her closet with a pout.

"Well, then blue." he said now, nonchalantly.

Lucy nodded at this, debating silently with his choice, and sighed out a great big smile. "Black it is!"

Natsu rolled his eyes as she picked up her shoes and put them on, spinning around to sit correctly. Her date was in a few minutes or so, and after nearly an hour of Lucy dolling herself up, asking continuous questions on Natsu's opinion, she was finally ready. It was intriguing to him to see her like this, in such a flurry for a simple thing like dinner. He wasn't used to seeing her all nervous, usually she had this airy confidence around her that just made you think,_ 'wow, she's amazing'_ and it was true. She was amazing.

He just didn't get why she was doing all this for some guy she didn't know.

"_Because_ Natsu," Lucy sighed out, "How else will I get to know him if I don't go out? And first impressions are everything."

Whoops, had he said that out loud?

"Okay well, I'm gonna go. Don't set my place on fire." She admonished, pointing a threatening finger as she grabbed her purse. She headed towards the door and spun back around, "And Happy! Stay out of my fridge!"

He came fluttering out of her kitchen with a sleazy grin, plopping straight onto the pillow on her bed, "Aye! There's nothing left anyway."

Lucy rolled her eyes and muffled back a noise of frustration. She glowered at the cat, before composing herself and flattening down a crinkle in her dress. "Bye."

Natsu waved, half-halfheartedly, and she closed the door with a soft _click_. He sat there now, in an unusual case of silence, and decided that he didn't like it. He slumped down in the sofa, bummed out that the night he usually would've had playing games with Lucy was canceled, and turned to look at his best buddy.

"Hey Hap, wanna–"

A soft snore cut his words off, the little blue furball cozily asleep right on her pillow. Natsu sighed. He always did get sleepy after he ate too much. Natsu wasn't very different.

He collapsed on the rest of the couch with a moan.

* * *

"No way, you've read that too? I thought I was the only one!"

Lucy laughed happily, clasping her hands, "No no! That's one of my favorites, _ultimate_ favorites."

Nico blinked at her in surprise, a smile of his own slipping onto his lips. "It's crazy how much we have in common."

Lucy sighed out, cupping her cheek with her palm and swayed her foot back and forth of bliss. "I know."

Well, her date had been going better than expected. Lucy really was taken aback by how similar they really were, they liked all the same books, same authors, same hobbies, it was unreal. He was even writing something of his own, just like her! They even planned to exchange stories at some point, and that was really saying something considering she barely even let _Levy_ in on her book. She didn't quite understand, there was just something very trusting about him.

"So uh," Lucy began, finding his eyes trained on something over her shoulder. He blinked and looked back to her, and Lucy found nothing more satisfying than how he looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you in a guild or anything?"

He chuckled, embarrassed. "Like magic? Ah, no. I'm just normal."

Lucy waved a hand at him, dismissing his concerned gaze. "That's okay, normal is good sometimes. Magic seems to make everything so crazy, I like having a breath or two away from it all."

He appeared pleasantly surprised, "You're a mage? In a guild?"

Lucy painfully remembered the last time she brought a potential boyfriend to meet all of her insane friends, and laughed awkwardly. "Ah, yeah, but it's nothing."

She brought her stamped hand in her lap under the table then, knowing the wild reputation Fairy Tail had around town, and drank a large sip from her glass.

Nico was drinking from his own glass then, and Lucy noticed how his gaze switched from her to over her shoulder again. He swallowed thickly, before setting it down with an apologetic chuckle to Lucy. "Sorry, if I keep looking at you. It's just that…there's this weird guy behind you that's been glaring at me for like, the past half hour."

Lucy perked up at this, wildly, "What?"

She twisted around in her seat and glanced behind her, unsure of what she'd really expect to find. They were seated outside on the patio of the restaurant, right on the beautiful view of the river that ran through Magnolia, and Lucy was more than speechless to find the familiar pair of eyes that obstructed that view.

"Natsu?" she hissed out, between her teeth.

He popped up from behind the railing that surrounded the small patio, and tried pathetically to look casual. He scratched the back of his pink head, seeming completely entranced by the stars and kept his gaze anywhere except for the fuming blonde in front of him.

"Wait, you know that guy?" Nico asked, concernedly.

Lucy whipped back to him, an embarrassed blush coating her cheeks and laughed weakly. "Uh, yeah, I just…_don't know what he's doing here right now._"

Lucy stood up at that, turning back on her heel to face Natsu slowly making his way over. He tried his best to ignore the glare piercing through him and stopped a foot away from her, glancing back to Nico with a certain look Lucy couldn't explain.

"Wait, Natsu? As in Natsu Dragneel?" Nico finally blurted out. "Like…the _Salamander_ of Fairy Tail?"

Lucy could feel it. This was where she lost him. Natsu peeked out from behind her figure and gave a smug wave to the man.

"You know him?" Nico asked Lucy now, and she turned to him with a little laugh caught in her throat. "You're in Fairy Tail?"

Lucy burst out laughing then, waving a quick hand. "What? No! No way, I'm–"

"I can see your tattoo on your hand."

She pressed her hand to her chest then, still giggling, and sighed out longingly.

"She's my partner," Natsu spoke up, casually, as if it were some piece of useless trivia he had no problem saying.

Lucy could practically hear herself implode inside.

Nico nodded then, lowly and to himself, and slowly stood up from the table. "Right, well–"

"We're not together," Lucy interjected, squeakily, "Not like that!"

He didn't seem any less convinced, "I don't want to get in the middle of anything here. I don't like getting mixed up with complicated things, especially if it has the Salamander involved, so…"

Lucy sputtered out words uselessly as he grabbed his coat and waved a hand, "I'm gonna go. It was…nice meeting you Lucy."

With that and a few more painful attempts of Lucy trying to get a sentence out, Nico left down the sidewalk near the river. She gaped at this, openly, and whimpered out a whine.

"Oh…my god." she breathed out, turning to Natsu beside her. "Oh my _god!_"

Lucy punched his arm as hard as she could, twisting her knuckles into his bare skin hard enough to erupt a yelp from him. "_Natsu!_"

She grabbed her bag from the chair next to her and slammed it down on top of his head, left and right, left and right, until he was practically cowering away to the ground.

"I can't believe you! The first date I've had in over a year and you go and mess it up!" She hissed out, hitting him with her bag again. "What the _hell!_"

Natsu guarded himself with his arm, protecting whatever was left of his head from getting bludgeoned and groaned out. "I'm sorry!"

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped, dropping her bag with a huff. "Why are you even here!"

Natsu raised himself up from his stance and shrugged, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, I got bored so–"

"So you decided to come ruin my date?" She asked, with a bite in her tone.

"Not necessarily…" he tried saying.

"Well what the hell did you _think_ was gonna happen by you coming here!" Lucy yelled, waving her hands all around in the air. "God, you are such a —you're so–UGH!"

She groaned out with another slap of his arm, stamping her foot like a child. "And he was so cute! We had so much in common, he was nice and sweet and funny and–and…"

Lucy buried her face in her hands and whimpered like a little puppy dog. She dragged them down her cheeks and pouted deeply.

Natsu composed himself after her brutal attack, awkwardly, and came up to try some sort of consolation. "Uh, I'm…sorry Lucy."

"Oh shut up, no you're not!" She went straight back to being angry, "You're never sorry! You do all this reckless crazy shit and you don't feel bad about anything! You–_you!_"

Natsu cowered as she pointed a fiery finger at him, staring at her pink nail intensely.

"You always have to ruin anything _normal_ in my life! Always!" she punched his (very sore by now) arm again, "You insensitive little–"

She huffed out again, loudly, and anyone could see from a mile away how red of fury her face was. She sighed out, obviously tired of yelling so much, but that burning rage inside her was nowhere near done being sated. Her mind was way past comprehension.

Natsu stared at her silently then as her mouth ran and ran, her arms flying everywhere and eyes ablaze, and he couldn't really remember the last time she was knocked off her rocker like this before. He didn't understand anything she was saying anymore, but he still attempted at listening. Though, seeing her like this, all riled up and insane like she insisted she wasn't, he just found it completely entrancing. She could be crazier than him sometimes, and he found that he loved the few times she decided to let it show.

"I just don't get it," she seethed out, taking a towering step towards him, "_Why_–why would you come here–why you _idiotic_, _reckless_, _dense_ piece of–"

The rest of Lucy's sentence was cut off as she was tugged forward in a snap, two hands on her cheeks and her lips suddenly smashed onto another. Her hands raised in shock, her body going absolutely _frigid_ as she recognized this sense of warmth, and whatever was left of what she was going to say turned into a high squeak, stuck in her throat.

She stumbled on her toes at his sudden urgency, nearly catching herself, and was let go a second later, back down to her heels. She stared at the culprit before her, _Natsu_, and gaped at him openly. She heaved in and out between her breaths, adrenaline completely _pulsing_ through her, and struggled to find the words she wanted to say.

Natsu could only stare at her, awkwardly, and tried to comprehend _himself_ what he had just done. He didn't mean to do that, it just happened. It was an impulse, she just kept on talking and talking and yelling and–he didn't know what came over him. She had gotten so close and he _had_ been feeling extra off ever since this whole date thing came up, he just felt like it was right. Which, was completely crazy considering he had never felt like that _before_–

"Do that again."

Natsu blinked and whipped his eyes back into Lucy's, finding the utmost urgency swarming through hers. She looked completely on edge, like she couldn't catch a breath and swallowed a thick gulp of air.

"What?"

He creased a look at her, not exactly sure what happened or apparently, was still _happening_, but Lucy waved an impatient hand at him, her eyes still burning in fire.

"Do that _again_." she insisted.

Natsu wasn't sure how too. He did it the first time without thinking, and now he was afraid he was thinking too much. He copied his movements from before though, brushing his hands under her hair and to her cheeks, and dipped towards her for another, breathless kiss.

Lucy felt herself fall to her toes again, exhaling sharply into his mouth, and froze up again as her entire mind clouded up. She was so utterly lost and confused, but she had never really imagined bliss like this before. She couldn't help but feel so rigid, she didn't _understand_. Everything was so sudden and in a flash for her, she didn't have time to think about anything. She didn't have time to think about how the _first_ kiss felt for her, and now she could barely comprehend the _second_ one.

She stood by though, feeling him as his hands pressed against her cold cheeks, tilting his head so for a second, his lips could open hers wider and press down again, taking her full bottom lip between his, and something just _clicked_ inside her.

_Wow_, did she love kissing him.

Lucy pulled herself out of her frozen composure and practically threw herself against him, tossing her arms around his neck and jumping a foot in the air. She kissed him back, sighing into his mouth and felt a hint of a smile be pressed against hers. She weaved her nails through his hair, on her toes again to try and match his height, and if either of them were conscious enough to notice, they would have heard the variety of 'awws' come from the crowd of people on that patio.

A woman came up to them though, not as happy for the couple as everyone else, and cleared her throat loudly to interrupt the two.

"Excuse me? You two have caused a great disruption in my restaurant, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." she said, her voice annoying calm as she pointed to the exit.

Lucy willed herself away from Natsu, now happily melted in his arms that circled her waist, and gave a quick and obviously fake smile to the woman. "Hey, we're kinda busy at the moment, but maybe later okay? Okay."

With that, she turned back to Natsu patiently waiting, and brought his lips down to hers again. The restaurant owner gaped at them, anger building up behind her icy composure. "Hey–_Fairy Tail?_ Aren't you guys banned from here?"

The two pulled away again, glancing down to their obvious tattoo's.

"Probably."

"Yeah."

The woman looked at them expectantly, but was enraged to no end to find them ignoring her and their attention back on each other. Lucy seemed uncomfortable though, with how she stared at them with rage in her eyes.

"Kay, bye?" she chimed, creasing an eyebrow at her.

Lucy waited and heard the woman scoff loudly, and blew up her cheeks in a smile as she turned and stomped away. She heard Natsu laugh at that, and looked back to him with a laugh of her own. His arms tightened around her, bumping her chest into his again and she blushed, with a twist of embarrassment in her smile. He kissed it though, and she happily heard the approving comments of her audience as she returned it.

"You were so jealous." she muttered, between her breaths.

Natsu didn't reply to that, but that hint of a stupid grin Lucy felt on her lips was enough to say it all.

* * *

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* * *

**Sorry for taking so long, I've been having some trouble with the next Spy chapter, but hopefully this is a decent enough placeholder until then :)**

**Thanks for being patient!**


	43. The Spy Upstairs (6)

**The Spy Upstairs**

**Part 6**

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**.**

People call me smarter than most, often enough to where I believe it myself most times, yet this is one of the cases where I do not. They can make me take IQ tests, interrogate me, run experiments all like they want, but I swear I have to be the dumbest person alive right now. Everyone was freaking, they had gotten the news about the bombing and I was just sitting around trying to figure out what the hell was happening. I was so lost. I can understand why I'd be the one left out of the loop, but jeez, with the way everyone is acting you'd think someone would explain what's going on. I was clueless.

Okay so, recap: they caught Zeref. And _apparently_ that was a big deal? I mean I know he's this 'wow super big bad guy' and everything, but wasn't the point of Fairy Tail to actually capture these people? They're acting like this was their first major bust and it honestly had me concerned, like I dearly hope that this wasn't their first capture or anything because _that_ would be kind of sad.

Maybe it was just because Zeref had seemed so untouchable up until now. He really was like this mystical antagonist that only showed up in catastrophes, no one knew who he was or what he was truly capable of, so actually _getting_ this guy must be astonishing to these people. Who knows how long they've been working on tracking this guy down.

"Lucy?"

I snapped awake, flicking my eyes towards Natsu suddenly in front of me. He was staring at me peculiarly, "What are you doing?"

I straightened my back, "Uh." I was sitting. But, in a very concerned way! It didn't look that way, but it was totally true. I was freaking out just as much as the next guy, I just didn't…show it as vividly. And also my feet started to hurt, so.

"I don't really know what I should be doing," I admitted, in a tiny hush of a whisper.

I don't know why I expected him to be as yell-y and bossy as the others around, but I felt relief like no other when he smiled at me. He shrugged and leaned against the table I sat at, a small laugh escaping his lips. "Me neither."

You know, being caught up in all this chaos, I really feel like hitting myself sometimes when I forget that this was _Natsu_ right next to me. I didn't have to act around him like I did with the others, he understood that I had no clue and didn't blame me for it. The others were coming around too, of course, but he was different. We were like exact opposites, but we related to each other better than anyone would have expected, including me. We fit together better than we should, honestly, and it was both confusing and flattering.

I tugged on his arm as I realized these thoughts, and pulled his ear down towards me, "So what's going on?"

He shrugged, "They're bringing him in."

I snapped up straight in my seat then, my eyes bugging out, "Woah wait, _here?_ They're gonna bring the countries most wanted bomber _here?_ Why not the Royal Guard or something?"

He looked as blank and clueless as I did, though at the mention of that Council name he snorted out a laugh, "To those idiots? No way. We're the best around here Lucy, don't worry."

I never understood his confidence. I mean granted I felt protected, but I was still like 88% sure I was going to die here. I looked up to Natsu watching the TV. He seemed troubled as the news reported on the massive hit, though I couldn't say much about what he was thinking. His eyebrows were knitted together with an irritated crease and a crooked pout was set on his lips, I could see the way he clenched his jaw as he bared his teeth in an absent thought. I admired his jaw line then, how strong and soft his features could be at the same time, and the way he frowned when he thought on something hard was endearing to me, cute even. Not that I liked it when he was upset, but I was pretty sure any expression he made was attractive to me.

I probably shouldn't even be ogling him like I was anyways. Kind of a serious moment, Lucy. Though it has been over an hour since the whole thing. I just didn't know what else to do to pass the time. What were we waiting for again?

"Everyone make way! He's comin' through!"

My heart jumped at that. I saw a big crowd out by the hallway that lead down to the interrogation rooms. Me and Natsu had to go back behind everyone else, but the room went deathly silent as the doors were shoved open and a line of soldiers holding guns appeared. They were probably people I knew (somewhat) but they had masks and vests and everything.

Then he came through. I heard the distant stomps of his boots and the slight murmurs that came from others around me, I felt a tingling sense of slight fear pulse through me. What would he look like? Horribly disfigured? A lunatic with a scar? Covered in blood?

I leaned on my toes to peek around the taller folk and saw blazing red hair. Erza. And she was leading him with some high quality handcuffs, it seemed. He stepped into my line of sight then, and I don't think I could have expected what I saw. He looked…_nice_. Dare I say. He didn't look like a murderous psychopath at all. He looked like he would own a pet shop or something. Dark eyes, dark hair with a few little strands poking out from the top. A solemn look in his irises, like he was bored or something, yet like he didn't really mind being here. This was the monster? Who just murdered a man in the worst way possible less than an hour ago?

This was Zeref?

It didn't make sense. I heard a sharp breath come from Natsu beside me, and I turned to see him staring at the man in a way I hadn't seen before. I sorely wished I could know what he was thinking.

Zeref and Erza left down the winding hallways to go to some interrogation room probably, and soon enough the crowd dissipated as everyone left to go do their jobs. I was left standing next to Natsu, at least, for a moment, before he took off down the hallways himself. Alrighty, that's cool.

I didn't belong back there anyways, I didn't want to be back there. When I saw Zeref I was prepared to see some sort of sadistic alien monster, but he looked like any other guy you would see down the street. And I think that scared me more than what I thought he looked like. _He looked like a nice guy. _He looked sweet and kind _but he wasn't._ He killed people, he murdered innocent people, innocent _children_, and here he was, probably a guy I sat next to on the train.

That was absolutely _terrifying_. Monsters should look like monsters…not like a man you wouldn't mind having a sweet conversation with about the weather.

I waited around for a while, wondering if I should just leave. It wasn't like I was needed here, and my initial plans for returning here definitely didn't have anything to do with this. I was about to get up to go, before Natsu came dragging his feet back into the hall. Why did I always have to stop on my feet whenever I saw him?

"Hey," I called out, seeing his eyes raise up to mine, "Where'd you go?"

He shuffled towards me, pointing a lazy finger back, "See what was going on. Didn't get anywhere close though. Are you leaving?"

I glanced down to my bag and coat thrown over my arm and shrugged impishly, "I guess, I don't know. Not like you need my help or anything."

Natsu slumped down onto the couch then, lifting his lips at me and crinkling his nose. "No, but I could use your company."

I didn't mean to blush, but hey, there it was. I laughed like a dork and swayed on my feet. I guess that new episode of Cosmos could wait. I set all my stuff down again and sat beside him, sighing out tiredly. I leaned my cheek on his shoulder, glancing up to his eyes again, "What do you think they're doing to him?"

He sucked in a breath and exhaled loudly, "Getting him to talk."

He said that with much more confidence than I expected. Well, I suppose he would know first hand what went on behind those doors.

"About what?" I asked.

"Whatever he's hiding. Everything," he answered, "He has some plan, something bigger. Erza's been dying to know, and she's not letting anyone in there with her."

I could only imagine how she planned to get that information out. I sat back in my seat then, "Huh…"

We talked aimlessly for a while later and in the midst of me constantly pestering him for questions and him not really seeming all that annoyed by them, Mira came up to the both of us. "Erza wants to see you."

Natsu stood up at that, confused and slightly alarmed at the sound of that name, "Really?"

Mira glanced to me, "The both of you."

My heart jumped again. Ugh, shit. See, it was stuff like this that gave me nightmares. A jumble of conflicted words spilled out of my lips then, them both looking at me weirdly.

"Uh, are you sure..? I mean, it's just that–uh, I don't want to?" I blurted out. Mira rose an eyebrow, and I chuckled awkwardly. "I mean…I don't want to see him. I don't really think that–"

"Erza's orders," Mira said, dismissing us both.

The rest of the words fell off my tongue uselessly, giving it a little click. Natsu smiled half-heartedly, "C'mon."

He led the way back down to the interrogation rooms and I followed suit. Passing by all those armed soldiers really creeped me out, jeez was this serious. Why the hell would Erza want me? Why not just Natsu?

We both entered a room then and I saw Erza waiting impatiently. She turned to us as soon as the door opened and ushered us both in. I walked in modestly, my eyes going straight to Zeref. There was a wall of glass on the back wall of the room, computers everywhere and screens, and I heard Natsu immediately ask her something.

I wasn't listening. They had Zeref, tied up to a chair and bolted down to a table in a bleach white room. I remember being in that room. He sat quietly, and I probably wouldn't of been so entranced by him if it didn't look like _he was staring right at me_.

I knew it was one-way glass, but it didn't fail to send shivers down my spine. His eyes seemed so blank, so dark and empty. He had a fresh bruise that was still bright red on his cheek, and probably a number of others I couldn't see from here. His head tilted a bit then, switching his eyes to look a little beside me.

"What's going on?" I heard Natsu ask, tuning in to their conversation.

"He's not talking," Erza sighed out, bitterly. "He refuses. I've tried everything."

Natsu glanced to Zeref then, and looked back to her. "He hasn't said anything?"

Erza seemed disturbed by his question, like she knew something we didn't. She exhaled in a huff and turned to lean against a desk. She bore her eyes at Natsu then, "He has."

I looked between the two, an ominous air floating in the small room. "What?" I decided to ask.

Erza flicked her eyes towards me and back to Natsu then, and I didn't fail to notice the small gesture of her narrowing eyes. I didn't understand. It seemed like she was suspicious of Natsu. What did she know?

"He keeps asking for you, Natsu."

My heart did that stupid thing of jumping again. And I was sure mine wasn't the only one. Erza dragged her tongue along her teeth in an absent act of utter irritation and annoyance.

"He says he will only talk to you, Natsu. No one else." she said, "Which, is funny because I don't remember you two ever meeting."

Erza stepped up to him then, anger just boiling over in her eyes. "You want to tell me how he knows you?"

I watched anxiously. I was a mixture of certain things, mostly worry and nerves, but I didn't know how to feel when I glanced to Natsu. He was just as clueless as me. Or, at least, he was good at hiding it. But, I knew him though. I could tell if he was lying or hiding something and he wasn't.

He really didn't know what was happening.

"Erza, I don't know." he said obviously, "You can't really think I know him, right?"

Erza's anger transformed into a desperate frustration, "Then how the hell does he know you Natsu? Why does he want to see you?"

"Hell if I know," he answered, with a dumb shrug, "Maybe he found a file on me. Wanted to get inside info or something."

"What _files_," Erza nearly laughed, a cold and icy tone in her voice, "Natsu there are no files. We made sure of that once we recruited you, they're hundreds of miles away in a locked box. Even if he did get it, why go for yours?"

Natsu breathed out of his nose then, looking just as flustered as Erza, "_I don't know_, Erza. I don't."

She stared at him for a moment, studying his eyes to make sure he was telling the truth, and as soon as she was sure he was, she gave a long, exasperated moan to herself. She dragged her hands through her hair and down her face and walked to go stare at Zeref through the glass. She was quiet for a moment, thinking about something heavy I could see, and shook her head. "It was too easy."

Natsu and I both perked up at this. She mumbled it to herself, yet it was silent enough in the room for us both to hear.

"Why let himself get caught?" she asked, biting her thumbnail, "I'm sure he would have had a plan if he knew he was going down. Why get caught?"

Now that she mentioned it, I could see why that troubled her. I already thought it before, Zeref was like this vanishing antagonist, he was never seen or captured or anything before this. Why reveal himself? Why come down here? To scope the base out? But there was no way he was getting out of this, what would be the use?

"Natsu."

_Natsu_. Zeref only wanted to talk to him. Was that why? Why get himself captured, knowing full well he'd be executed, just to talk to a man he's never met before? Why?

"I want you in there." Erza declared, turning towards him with a frightening amount of courage in her eyes. "He'll only talk to you and we need what he knows. He's delusional, maybe he thinks your someone else he knows. I don't know, just go with it. We need this."

Natsu saw the look in her eye and nodded, a little more calmly than I expected him to be. I knew Natsu had a bone to pick with this guy, I saw the way he blew up after hearing of the explosion. Natsu hated this, him, all of it. Who wouldn't?

"Alright."

Erza seemed happy by his agreement and turned to me then, catching me off my guard. "You too."

I nearly choked on air._ Excuse me? _She wanted me to go in there? With the murderous psychopath who kills children? Was she kidding?

I nearly laughed out, a nervous chime in my voice as they both just stared at me. "Uh, no?"

I bit back on my tongue. Okay, I didn't mean for that to sound like such a blatant refusal of her orders but _seriously?_

She rose an offended eyebrow and I shook my head, "I just mean, _why?_ I don't see why I'm needed here, _at all_. And he's really creepy! And–"

"Lucy," Erza soothed, easing her voice for me. I kept quiet as she walked up to me, "I need you in there. I have Mira doing something for me and I know how well you can read people. Crazy or not. I need to know what you think is going on inside his head and the best way to do that is if you're in there with Natsu."

I sighed out. That was actually a good reason. Damn it.

"I just, don't know. I've never done this _professionally_, especially with someone like him." I admitted.

Her eyes spoke that she understood me, but also that she was doubting me herself. I couldn't blame her.

But, I also knew what this meant to her. Not in explicit detail, but to Fairy Tail, this was on the verge of a major breakthrough. And I wouldn't let it slip away just because I was scared. I just had to suck it up.

"I can…try though," I said, catching her eyes. I nibbled on my lip, breathing in any air on courage she might be radiating off herself and nodded.

She squared up to me then, hardening her gaze even though she seemed relieved. "Can you do this?"

I nodded. "I think so."

She shook her head, "No, I need to know. Can you do this? Because once you go in there Lucy, I can't have you slipping anything. If he knows about Natsu, then who knows what else he has. I don't want him knowing anything more than what he does."

Jeez, make this any more intimidating for me please? I told myself to suck it up though and gave another nod. "I can do this."

And, with that, I was on my way to go interrogate Fiore's worst criminal ever known.

* * *

It wasn't like I had to say anything, I just had to observe. Natsu would do all the talking. Well, I hope it was talking. I don't know how I'd feel about watching him beat up this guy, though I can't say he wouldn't deserve it.

Natsu and I entered the room, and as soon as Zeref's eyes flew up towards Natsu, I knew something was off about him already. A mix of emotions crossed his face and he made no effort to cover them up. He seemed overwhelmed with joy and relief as his eyes landed on him, like he had been waiting for this reunion.

"Natsu," Zeref spoke, his voice small and soft.

I could see how disturbed that made Natsu. I would probably react the same, some strange murderer saying my name as if we some long, heartfelt history. Natsu didn't say anything and instead sat down across from him at the table. I decided to hang back off to the side of him.

Tears welled up in Zeref's eyes. "You're here. _I knew it_, I knew that was you."

He swallowed as Natsu still had yet to say anything, and my heart skipped a beat as he flicked his eyes to me. He stared at me and it seemed like dozens of thoughts passed through his eyes. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what those said. He looked at me with a peculiar sense, and I couldn't tell if he was indifferent or upset that I was here.

"Who's this?" he asked, not blinking as he uttered that.

He leaned forward suddenly then, his chair scratching back and he held his hands out. I flinched and Natsu pushed me back a step, a dark glare in his eyes. "Don't move."

Was he trying to shake my hand?

Zeref nodded calmly and sat back down in his seat, listening to him, and Natsu sighed out.

"Charles Lanster."

Zeref seemed confused.

"That's the name of the man you killed three hours ago." Natsu said. I was surprised to see him like this in this setting. He wasn't goofy and funny like how he really was, he dropped all of that as soon as he opened up the door. He masked that with such seriousness that it impressed even me. I didn't like him looking how he did here, with a frown instead of a smile and his eyes cold and harsh instead of sunny and warm. Yet, I could understand why he had to do this.

"Oh," Zeref nodded, a reluctant sigh escaping his lips. "Yes. I killed him."

He didn't even bat an eyelash as he said that. He acted like it was some unfortunate mishap that the poor guy got blown to pieces, he didn't even look sorry. He _wasn't._

He did a damn fine job looking like he did though. He glanced at Natsu and suddenly his entire persona changed. He switched his body language and hung his head, sorrow filling his eyes. Why do that? Why pretend he was sorry? We already knew what he had done, why try and play us to think that way?

For Natsu, maybe? He wanted a different impression?

"Why?" Natsu asked, and he seemed like he wanted to ask that question for centuries now. He seemed so tired as he stared at Zeref, and he didn't mind showing the murderer how tired he was of his acts. "Why kill all those people? They were innocent, they didn't do anything. Why would you do something like that?"

Zeref stared at Natsu in a honest to god, _lovingly _way. His eyes swarmed with something that gave the appearance he had been tormented with something for years. He swallowed, and his voice was so meek and soft that if I didn't know any better, I would've actually felt _sorry_ for the guy.

"Well…it was for you." he said.

Natsu changed his entire outlook on the man. He seemed well over offended at this, and it was obvious he was trying to mask his anger. "Me?"

Zeref nodded, sympathetically, "It was always for you, Natsu. I–I love you, and–"

"_Stop._"

Natsu's voice dipped into something low and sinister as that word dripped off his tongue. He looked so outraged with this, I was sure he couldn't even comprehend it. My heart squeezed for him. It was terrible. _This_ was terrible. What kind of game was this guy playing?

"I didn't want to do it," Zeref continued, shyly, "But I had too. I knew it wasn't right, but I had to sacrifice that. I had to sacrifice them."

"Them?" Natsu questioned.

"The people that I killed." Zeref said, without a blink of his eye. Again, no remorse anywhere inside him. It was sickening. "I had to sacrifice them, for you. To get your attention."

I could barely grasp this. He was saying that he killed over hundreds of people, just to get Natsu's_attention_?

Natsu seemed as disgusted with this as I was, "My attention? For what?"

"I've wanted to see you for so long," Zeref droned on, ignoring Natsu's words. He stared at him in such admiration it was repulsive. He was completely demented.

"I shouldn't be here, but I couldn't wait any longer," he muttered, his voice lowering as if he were talking to himself, "He's going to be mad."

Natsu straightened up at this, "He? Who?"

Zeref dragged his hands through his hair roughly, tears welling up in his eyes again, "Oh I completely forgot. He's going to be so mad."

"Who?" Natsu snapped.

Zeref swallowed and glanced up to him, looking at him as if he was surprised he didn't know. "Acnologia."

Acnologia? Who the hell was that?

"But it's okay, it's okay." Zeref said, reaching out from the table to hold Natsu's hand. "I can take care of it. I'll protect you if things get rough, like I've always done."

Natsu looked at him like he was his worst nightmare. He looked so confused and flustered and dare I say, even a little scared. I would be too, I guess, in his shoes. He took his hand away from the man.

"Who do you think I am?" he breathed out, frustrated for answers, "Why do you think you know me?"

Zeref laughed at this like a joke. "I don't _think_, Natsu. I know. I do know you."

Natsu watched him like he didn't want to know the answer. And honestly, neither did I.

"I'm your brother," Zeref laughed, his loving eyes swarming into Natsu's. "Don't tell me you don't remember?"

* * *

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**sorry for the long wait! I really tried showing Zeref as he truly should be seen in this chapter here, so I hope you liked it :)**

**Review!**


	44. Freaks and Creeps (4)

**Includes: Erza/Jellal, Lucy**

**Lucy POV**

* * *

Freaks and Creeps

Part 4

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I was struggling. That wasn't anything new–it was actually a common occurrence in my daily life, but the level on which I was struggling was something a little more obscure. I had a quick wit, I made judgments pretty fast and I liked to think I was mentally organized. I always planned everything out ahead of time, so I wasn't a bumbling mess when the time came that I needed to be focused. And so far, that worked out pretty nicely in my favor.

When it comes to 'Molecular Theories on Dark Matter' though, that's when things got a little rough for me. It was 4:24. I was supposed to be done with this horrid essay by now, I was supposed to be in bed or writing my story or something, not this. This so wasn't going according to plan, and it stressed me out like nothing before.

I didn't like admitting it, but my life stuck to a pretty air-tight schedule. I didn't mean to do the same thing at the same time every day, but I just fall into it without even noticing. It was nice, I guess, I wasn't constantly worrying about things I had no control over.

You know what I would like to have control over? Dark matter and it's mysterious ass. No one even knows what it is, how am I supposed to write an essay on it?

I stared at my computer screen in silent agony. I literally wanted to die. I liked this though, as much as I hated it. I liked being so curious about space and all its secrets, but God was it frustrating. I'm going to end up being one of those mad scientists who had a legendary breakdown twenty years ago and is currently rejected from society. That would actually be kind of cool, but it's probably not as glamorous as I think.

"I thought you were supposed to be writing about black holes?"

I sighed, and pressed my palms to my eyes. "No, different class. Already finished it."

I heard an interested hum then, and I released my eyes to settle on the boyish face suddenly in front of me, currently reading what I had written so far. He started chuckling then, deeply in the back of his throat, and stood up to shove his hands in his pockets.

I stared up to the cosmic being, as his piercing golden eyes flicked to me in amusement. "This is really all you have on dark matter? Jeez Lucy, and I thought you were at the top of your class."

I growled quietly, but it probably ended up sounding more like a distressed whine. "Hey, it's not as easy as it looks alright? I don't see you having to keep up with any of this work."

He sauntered around to my other side to lean over my shoulder, his classic smirk plastered on his face. "Cause this stuff is so easy, I mean hell, dark matter? That stuff is literally all around you, it's not just in space. It's actually some weird creature—"

"Gah! Spoilers Loke! Shut up!" I slammed my hands to my ears. He sighed and shut his mouth. "You know how I feel about that!"

He went over and slumped down on my bed, "Yeah I know how you feel about lot's of things. I just don't see why you don't want me to tell you. It's better than making up those dumb theories, which by the way, are all wrong. You have the universe's greatest knowledge at your fingertips Lucy, and you completely ignore it. Even when I'm in my human form, looking as perfect and tempting as the devil itself, all you do is shush me."

I slid back in my desk chair and dipped my head over the back. I rolled my eyes dramatically, though I could never match the insufferable drama that was Loke himself. That would be impossible.

"That's exactly it Loke, it is too easy. You could tell me every single secret of the history of the universe in a snap, but what good would it do? You know just as well as I do that humans aren't meant to understand everything. I'd probably end up killing myself because you convinced me that life isn't real or something."

A smirk suddenly grew on his face, "Well–"

I tossed a glare at him, and sat up to face him properly, "I just want to figure out Earth's mysteries with everyone else, at the same pace. I like it and it's fun, so don't ruin anything for me."

Loke held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, Princess. No spoilers. Have fun with that paper."

I pouted at him and reluctantly lolled to my feet, stretching out the kinks in my back. I heard a satisfying crack and saw the spirit eyeing the rise in my shirt. I narrowed my gaze at him. "I need a break. I'm gonna go to the showers."

Loke watched as I tugged a towel out from my closet and lifted up an eyebrow, "Mind if I join?"

I scoffed a laugh, "Sorry, those stalls are pretty tight. I don't think you'd fit."

He shrugged at me, lackadaisically, "Hey, I can do anything I want. I think you forget what gods are capable of."

I felt a smirk grow on my face as I rummaged through my dresser, "You know, technically you're not a god. You've just been alive for a long time."

Loke shrugged. He knew that he couldn't exactly create life or anything spectacular like that, but he did have some nice tricks up his sleeve. Even I forget that he's not a god sometimes, it's just my go-to word I suppose.

"Fine, I'm not worshiped or anything like that. But, if that's how it were to be based then I am most definitely a sex god, which sounds so much better than before anyways." he said smugly, with a sparkling gleam in his eye.

I really did laugh now, whipping back to him, "Loke, I don't know if you've forgotten, but you know you actually have to touch a human being other than me to have sex right?"

Loke simply glanced at me up and down. "Who said it was with humans?" I rolled my eyes, "Though Lucy, since you bring it up, I wouldn't mind trying out that theory. 'Can humans and cosmic gods copulate?' Sounds like an excellent paper to me."

I grimaced, "Oh shut up."

I snatched my soap from behind him and saw his eyes follow me like a puppy dog, "You know technically, I'm a virgin too Lucy, or whatever you humans call it. We could kill two birds with one stone."

"Virginity doesn't exist," I told him, packing up my shower bag, "It's completely made up and imaginary."

I heard Loke chuckle as I headed towards the door, "Whatever makes you feel better Princess."

Scrunching up my nose at him, I left. I made my way down the dorm halls and whistled a soft tune. Tons of doors were open with people shooting back and forth, boys and girls laughing and talking, and music blaring from speakers. The noise settled as I entered the dorm bathrooms, already hearing the rush of water from other girls showering and picked out my favorite stall.

It took a second for the water to spit out of the rusting showerheads, but soon enough the freezing sprinkles warmed up in my favor. I washed my hair with bubbles and everything, molding it up into some kind of mohawk and tried thinking on what else to add to my paper. Jeez, I missed my bathtub. That always relaxed me, the school should really invest in those. I'd kickstart it.

Throughout my shower my whistling had turned more into hums, which turned into mumbling, and by now I'm pretty sure I was singing my heart out. I wasn't all that great a singer in the first place, but when my curtain was suddenly thrashed open by a blur of red, I probably could have cracked a mirror or two.

I shrunk up in the corner with a hot curse and stared wide-eyed at the indecent beast that stood before me.

"Oh! It is you!"

"What?"

Laughter erupted from the girl in front of me, a strong and sturdy chortle that aired confidence in every form. I gaped as she stood before me, stark naked and two feet away, basically cramming herself in this tiny cubbie of a shower stall like it wasn't a weird thing to do.

She looked like a damn warrior goddess. That red flash I saw was apparently her hair, looking as if it was stained in the blood of the slain. Her skin was pale and flawless, like a china doll, and yikes were her eyes demanding. 'Violently violet–pierce your soul' kind of eyes with a kind of determination that knocked you off your feet.

So, to summarize, I was freaked as hell. She quickly shut off my water with a flick of her finger.

"I'm so glad to have finally get a moment with you," she said to me, smiling casually, "It seems like whenever I wanted to say something you were too busy."

I writhed in my spot, cheeks blazing and pressed my loofa between my legs. I juggled trying to cover that and my chest as well, backing myself up further.

"Who are you?" I screeched.

She seemed delighted I asked that question. "Me? I'm surprised you don't know. Student council chairwoman, Erza Scarlet. And you're Lucy, correct?"

I whined lowly, shrinking myself in my corner and glanced to her over my shoulder, with a mighty heated glare. "Maybe."

"Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?" Erza asked, with a strong lift of her chin. I found it hard to reject her with those damn eyes, but I still did it easily enough.

"Dude no, get out!" I cried, snatching the shower curtain to press to my chest, "I'm nude." I mumbled lowly.

"It is very important, Lucy." she told me seriously, though that smile of hers was a bit contradicting. "I understand this is a bit indecent of me (a bit), but let's face it, both of us are very busy women with filled schedules, and this might be my only chance to speak with you on my own time."

I sighed out heavily as she pressed herself in further, un-noticeably tugging my curtain away as well, and tried my best not to be rude. That little tick of frustration in the temple of my head said to do otherwise though. "What do you want?"

I crossed my arm over my breasts and shuffled uncomfortably in front of her, reluctantly giving up trying to even cover myself. All the while she was just standing there confident and proud, wide open for the world to see, and even I had to admit I had trouble not glancing down.

"I understand that you are one of the non-humans right?" she questioned me, "You're the one with the eyes of God?"

Eyes of God? Is that what people called it?

"Well it doesn't really work like that, but I guess?" I shrugged. "How do you know about me?"

"I know people." she said mysteriously, "What I'm more interested in is how exactly that works? With the eyes and all."

I stood there, freezing, naked, uncomfortable, and my hair in a slumped mohawk, and she busted in my shower to talk about my eyes? This was the super-duper important thing she needed handled on her super busy schedule?

"This honestly couldn't wait until I was out of the shower?" I desperately asked, shaking my hair of slimy bubbles.

"Afraid not," Erza merely chuckled.

I stared at her like the insane creature she was, and exhaled through my nose. "Why do you care so much about what I can do?"

She pointed a finger at me, "That is a great question Lucy. You see, I am a woman on a mission. And I am a firm believer that you the missing part I need in order to complete it."

A mission? What was she, a GI-Joe? Well…she did look the part.

"Mission?" I inquired, with a lift of my eyebrow.

She seemed happy yet again that I asked it, but I could tell that she told herself to calm down.

"You know, it's quite a long story. There's so much for us to talk about Lucy, and this really isn't the place for it."

Yeah no kidding.

"I'm sorry I'm dumping all of this on you right as you were showering, that was rude. How about coffee later? We can talk more and I promise I'll behave more properly." she suggested, with a hopeful gleam in her eye.

Was she kidding? After she just charged in here and shouted at me and…and…oh.

She looked really hopeful. That was kind of cute. I didn't understand anything, who she was, what she wanted, how she knew about me and my powers, but…she was insane. Absolutely, completely insane.

"…Okay."

Goddamn it.

Erza clasped her hands and nearly cheered. "Thank you Lucy!"

I laughed as she expressed her gratitude and hugged me, trying skillfully to slip from her grasps. She let me go, and I heard another pair of footsteps come up behind her, my eyes bulging out again.

"There you are, Scarlet." A deep voice sounded out, followed by the owner. A guy, in the girls bathroom, came up behind her and snatched her up, grinning into the crook of her neck. His hair was wet and an electric blue, and his body was…completely naked. He stopped laughing as he spotted me then, and copied my 'eye bulging' movement. "Oh."

He shifted Erza to cover himself from me, bringing her waist in front of his and smiled awkwardly. He had the strangest tattoo on his right eye.

"Hey, Lucy right?"

I nodded.

"You have a nice voice. You work at that bookshop sometimes right? I think I've seen you there."

Was this really happening?

"Sometimes." I answered, and gave a bright grin behind my shower curtain. "Great to meet you."

He nodded in agreement, and both our eyes went back to Erza standing confidently between us. She sighed a very satisfied grin.

"You know I cannot thank you enough for meeting with me, you have no idea how important this is to me." Erza gushed.

Well, I succumbed to meeting with her. I debated for a good two hours whether or not to stand her up, but in the end I accepted that doing that would be mean and I felt bad for even considering it. Ugh. You know I could avoid so many bad situations if I were just an asshole. I didn't have the guts to be one though, no, I cared too much about other people's feelings.

Damn.

So, I went out for a coffee with her. She was kind enough to pay for me as a thank you, and I had to admit, it was cute seeing her all excited to see me. What can I say, I felt special.

"No problem," I sighed, stirring my drink as we walked around campus. It was actually pleasant out today, so we figured we should enjoy the nice weather while we had it. We strolled around, did some people watching and finally got down to business with what Erza wanted with me.

"So, you wanted to know about my powers?" I questioned.

She sighed out a big grin, even though it was evident she was holding it back. "Yes. As I said before Lucy, I am a woman on a mission. A very important one at that, and I need your help."

We sat down on the edge of the fountain in the quad outside, watching quietly as people hung around and chatted.

"And what might that be?" I asked, a little humorously. I mean c'mon, a mission?

Erza scooted herself closer to me and stared me down like I was the last hope to mankind.

"I am going to oversee the world one day."

I paused, and I looked at her. I look at her blazing red hair, her violet eyes and her powerful aura that had me nearly quaking, and I nodded.

I nodded. "I can see that."

She grinned then, "Can you?"

Ruler of the world? Erza Scarlet? I sipped on my coffee, "Yup."

Despite how flattered she was by that comment, she grew solemn then, "And I know it's such a cliche ideal to want to rule the world, but it's not just about power to me. In fact, I don't really care for it at all. People are weak, Lucy."

It was nice how she stared at me while saying that.

"They don't understand how fragile we really are, and that scares them more than anything. I love the people in this country and on this earth Lucy, and I'm going to protect them, both from outside forces and themselves." Erza stated, "The only way I'm going to do that it to take control myself and lead everyone properly."

She sat back then and crossed her arms smugly, a gleam in her eye flickering as if she were imagining her future now.

"I will be a firm, yet fair ruler."

I chewed on my straw with a hint of a smile. I was equally freaked and impressed at the same time. And the fact that she needed my help to achieve this dream of hers?

I could basically be destroying this world if this turned out wrong. And to think this all started out with a naked encounter in the girls bathroom.

"So what does you becoming the supreme overlord have to do with me?" I asked, Erza rolling her eyes at that nickname.

"Well Lucy, it's obvious. If you've read any textbook than you know that only the good leaders are well educated and selfless. They're accurate, they plan and prepare themselves for any type of situation, and I want to make sure when the time comes that I have everything I need to know ready in my mind." she explained.

Erza looked at me very excitedly then, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long while, "I've been alive for a long time Lucy. I've been going to this college since it was founded, and you know why? Because every degree I earn here, automatically earns more intelligence up in here." she pointed to her head, "Knowledge is power. That's the most important quote you'll ever hear. I am going to run the world one day, and I won't be able to do that if I'm not educated in every aspect of life."

I nodded along to this dumbly, yet I froze at a certain part in that speech. "Wait, you've been coming here since this place was founded?"

What the hell? That was like over 200 years?

Erza seemed surprised yet again that I didn't know this very dominant characteristic of her. She rose an eyebrow, "Yes? Oh, didn't I tell you?"

I shook my head at the apparent immortal.

"I'm a vampire."

I paused, and I thought about it, and you know what? I really should have seen this coming. I was about to help the vampire warrior goddess take over the world.

She bursted out laughing then, supposedly at my expression and I took that second to glance at the now very obvious set of fangs she had in her mouth. Her canines poked out like a damn sabertooth, how did I not notice?

She was absolutely terrifying.

I laughed along with her weakly and felt a harsh punch to my shoulder that I assumed was supposed to be playful. "Yes, I've been coming here since the school was built. I want to know so much Lucy, that's why I'm spending so much time here. I'm going to be the first person to graduate with every degree, anything that can help me sharpen my senses I will master fully."

"Wow," I rubbed my shoulder, chuckling, "Every degree? Really?"

She waved a hand, "The ones that matter anyways. But, I have time, there's no rush. It's not like I'm dying anytime soon." she smiled at her own joke, "I do hate procrastination though and my schedule is pretty air-tight nowadays, and while I expected to have to wait for the turn of the century to figure out half of what else I needed, it seems as though the exact thing I needed just happened to be attending the same university as me."

I blushed a bit as I realized she was referring to me, "What?"

"You are my missing link Lucy. You decide whether my destiny begins right now or a century in the future."

I creased my eyebrows, "Didn't we meet like two hours ago–"

Erza took my hands and stuck her face in mine, "Lucy. I'm not one to believe in fate or pre-determined choices for my future, alright? I call my future my destiny because I chose to make it my destiny."

Something about her was oddly inspiring. It frightened me a bit as I realized I might actually begin to look up to this woman as some kind of role model. She was insane, but I could admire it.

"So..what do you want me for exactly?" I questioned, warily. She made it sound like I was the chosen one to save the world, and as promising as those kind of plots sound, they didn't exactly do it for me. I was more the casual support who liked staying to the side while everyone else did their thing. That was more my style.

Didn't stop anyone from dragging me right in the middle of it all, though.

"Lucy I don't think you realize the potential you have laying at your fingertips. I mean the amount of knowledge you must be gaining from these spirits that you can not only see, but converse with must be overwhelming!" Erza gushed, "There must be so many stories and answers and solutions to problems we haven't even faced yet hidden away in those powers of yours, isn't that amazing? Lucy, I have to know."

She clung onto my arm and stared up to me like a child asking for dessert before dinner. Except instead she wanted the secrets to the universe.

"Erza…" I drifted off. As easy as this favor of hers sounded, I was still very much unsure about the whole thing. It wasn't that I didn't like her or anything, but I just wasn't sure if I could give her the kind of information that she wanted.

Most of that information was stuff than even I didn't know yet, and the problem was that I would like to keep it that way. But…I didn't want to completely shatter her dreams.

"I don't know," I decided to say, out of all things. Her expression changed to one of determination, probably to try and convince me again, but I spoke up, "And it's not that I won't! It's just complicated with me and the spirits."

She leaned back then, casually cleaning her fangs all the sudden. "How so?"

"Well," I struggled to word this correctly, "I've sort of cut them off from telling me any of the big kinds of information…like the stuff you want to know. It's just so unsatisfying to be told everything about anything you wanted to learn! And if I tell you then they'll have to tell me so I can translate and then I'll know everything—and as much as I want to help you Erza, I really can't afford to be flexible on this one. And that's even saying if one shows up for me–"

"Lucy."

I panted out, a squeamish feeling in my gut as I cut off whatever else I wanted to say. I looked to Erza being unusually calm.

"I understand." she said.

I paused a bit. That was…way too easy? I basically just said no to helping her reach her destiny and she was totally fine with it?

"You do?" I asked, warily.

"I do," she confirmed, sitting closer to me, "I'm sure you've already figured out, human minds are weak, and that includes yours. Mine however, is not, but I will respect your wishes. I still hope we can reach some sort of deal though."

"Deal?" I echoed.

"Lucy, I don't think you're seeing the big picture. There's more to those spirits than those secrets, they've been around since the beginning. And I mean the beginning, that's older than me by a long shot. You don't think there's anything they could know about that?"

I had to hesitate right then for a good moment. I had…never thought about it that way. I didn't even realize how much history those little suckers must know.

"Holy shit," I muttered. Erza smiled at me.

"So? Do we have a deal?"

I laughed. She got me, she really did. This girl was truly something.

I had to shrug though, "Well it's not exactly that easy. So far I've only been able to talk to about two or three spirits. Some of them can't talk and others sort of just ignore me, if I can see them at all."

Erza quirked an eyebrow, "I thought you could see them all?"

I shook my head, "I can, but I can only really withstand them when they decide to change into their human form for me. All spirits have their 'true form', which is about the size of the tallest building in the world, and is made up of certain celestial energy that could possibly burn my eyes out…"

I chuckled awkwardly as Erza stared at me, "But some of them change their forms to look like a human so I can talk to them and such. But, spirits don't exactly hang around on Earth a lot, so the chances of me finding one is pretty rare. I've only seen around ten in my life."

Erza nodded, "Lucy?"

I looked to her.

"Can you teach me or not?"

"Oh," I laughed, waving off my rambles, "I think so! I'll see what I can do."

Erza stood up then with a mighty grin on her face, "That's wonderful Lucy. I can't thank you enough, but right now I'm supposed to be finding dinner tonight and I am late."

I grimaced at bit at that, "For your vampire friends?"

She smirked at me, "Yes."

I chewed on my straw as she packed up all her things, "What do you guys call yourselves? Isn't it a pack?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, that's for the werewolves. We're more of a…"

Erza struggled to find the right word, and I watched for a good moment as she tried to find it.

"Nest maybe?" she finally settled on, yet not with much confidence. "I don't know, I don't think we've agreed on a name yet."

I nodded along casually, finishing off my coffee. "Hm. How about a murder? Like a murder of crows?"

I thought it was pretty fitting.

Erza brightened up as if I flicked on the lightbulb above her head. She smiled at me widely. "A murder! That's perfect! See Lucy–" she patted my head, "I can tell we're going to become really great friends."

I smiled sheepishly, a flattered blush on my cheeks and saw Erza wave and begin to set off. I sighed and leaned back against the fountain, watching the people rush by with a relaxing sort of ambiance.

Wait…

Did I really just become a history tutor for the vampire cult leader?

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**I really like how I introduced Erza here, I found it fitting for her character no? And don't worry, we'll delve deeper into her and Jellal later ;)**

**Review!**


	45. Freaks and Creeps (5)

**Includes: Gajeel&amp;Levy**

**Gajeel POV**

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Freaks and Creeps

Part 5

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I never slept well. I was too sensitive about everything, as much as I hated to admit it. There were lights flickering, water rushing through the pipes, people having excessive sex next door, and it always seemed a degree too hot or too cold. Maybe I was just an insomniac. I always fell asleep better during the day anyways, as strange as that might be, but one thing was for sure: I wasn't the only night owl.

I still tried to sleep at night, believe me, I just had tough luck with it. The majority of the time I would end up staring at my ceiling for hours, maybe eat something, and eventually I would fine myself dozing off when the silence lasted longer than a second. That was on rare nights though.

On literally every other night though, there was always that one thing that made _sure_ I would never get any sleep. And yes, I said _thing_, just in a human form. It was a noise making, crazy, _thing_ that refused to let up on whatever the _hell_ it did at one in the morning.

My dorm building was practically in a 'U' shape, only it was cut in half to separate both sides from each other. The other half was supposed to be a regular dormitory, but the witches of this school decided to snatch it up as grounds for their coven. They were sound most of the time, as a whole, but every now and again a random scream would come from it and you had to wonder just what they did in there.

I never meant to spy or peek on them, but with the way our windows are located, it was kind of hard. Our dorms were placed along the inside of the buildings, so if I glanced out my window I could easily look into the ones across from it, if the shutters weren't pulled. I didn't exactly have an interest in anything those witches did, so I never had any problems with them, but this one girl, that _thing–_

She was driving me _up_ the goddamn wall.

I saw her sometimes in the day, her room was straight across from mine and she always had her giant ass window wide open for me to look in. Her room was scary as shit. I never saw a person in there other than her, so I'm guessing she somehow got around roommate requirement, and honestly I could see why no one would want to bunk with her. There was crap everywhere, book stacks about six feet high, some books thrown in piles in or around massive bookshelves, rocks, candles, creepy statues, and enough potted plants to fill an entire goddamn greenhouse. I swear they waved at me sometimes. She kept them out on her windowsill and I swear one waved a little plant hand at me.

Her room was insane, and so was she. She was the reason I could barely get to sleep most nights. She stayed up all hours of the night, doing some freaky shit in the shadows of her dungeon and being super loud about it. I heard squeals and snorts and hums from all sorts of animals and stuff come from her, and as weird as that was, that wasn't even the worst. She talked to herself. Nonstop. It wasn't even a little muttering here and there, it was full blown _'Eureka!'_ shouts that jerked me wide awake at two in the morning. She talked herself through all these steps and procedures of things I did _not_ want to know about, and I swear it was like she was having a _conversation_ with someone, but_ no one was ever there_.

I never saw her around campus, just in her room. It was like she never left it. She would pass by her window every now and again, and I made sure to let her know that I could easily look into it, but she didn't seem to care at all. We would share a glance every now and again and we would leave it at that. She would just go back to doing whatever she doing before with her spells and potions or whatever the hell witches do.

I wondered when she slept. I really did. She stayed up all night doing her freaky shit and then she had to go to class right? She never looked tired though, she looked like a little ball of explosive energy waiting to level the city. She had a mass of curly blue hair piled on top of her head and a voice squeaky enough it could shatter your mirror. She didn't look like the type of person to sell their soul to the devil, but hey, I can admire her commitment.

It was 1:43 in the morning now, and after a good hour or two of banging on my wall for my neighbor to shut up with the noises, I actually felt tired. He and this girl _refused_ to let up on each other, they had been going at it for hours. It started off with a few distant giggles here and there and ended with the incessant _'Oh, god! Oh, Cana, don't stop!'_ and I couldn't take it anymore.

They finally settled down and passed out probably, and once I finally thought I had some peace and quiet, here it goes again with the talking that I could hear practically a building away. I kept my window shut tight but even then her little voice would always echo through like a whisper and it drove me _mad_. Did her neighbors not care at all about sleeping?

I laid there, staring angrily at my ceiling and focused on trying to block out all her noises. It was useless though. She just kept talking, her mouth just ran and ran without a single breath and I really didn't understand what she could be talking about so much to_ no one_ at _two_ in the morning. I sucked on my teeth, irritably, and accidentally poked my tongue on my canines. That was it. I tried to be the reasonable, mellow guy who would look past it but she's gone way past her limits. She honestly needed to shut the fuck up.

I reached over and knocked my window open, the bright shines of her room blinding me for a second, and growled out. She was just sitting there! Reading a book like it was story time!

"_Hey!_" I yelled across the courtyard. She stopped on her tongue and looked up to me wildly. "Would you quit your yammerin' already! I'm tryna sleep!"

I watched as she stood up at that, slapping her book shut and came over to the windowsill. "Well don't listen!"

I glared daggers at her, "You do this _every_ night, you talk and talk and talk and you never shut up! I haven't slept in three days and I have this stupid ass exam tomorrow so_ shut up!_"

She seemed to be the one glaring at me now. "We all have exams, quit _whining_. Get over yourself and go eat some metal or whatever the hell you in there!"

I bared my teeth at her, catching her glance. I sat up and stuck my head out the window. "Oi, quit spying on me!"

She seemed taken aback, an offended, shrilly scoff leaving her lips. "I don't _spy_ on you! You're the one with the window always open, if anything you should quit spying on me! Don't think I don't notice you staring at me whenever I pass by, you creepy pervert!"

She was seething now, and so was I. It was only 'cause she was doing some weird shit, who the hell wouldn't stare at a freak like her?

"Don't flatter yourself sweetcheeks," I sneered, making her even angrier, "With a chest like yer's there ain't much to peek at."

She gaped at me, glancing momentarily down to her flat chest and growled loudly at me. I snickered. Her face was practically burning red with anger. She only seemed to calm down then, a devious gleam in her eye.

"You know," she coaxed, leaning over on her windowsill, "You really shouldn't test me."

I raised an eyebrow at that, nearly bursting out in laughter. Was this chick really trying to threaten me now?

"I can literally make your life a living hell," she stated, confidently, "You're just lucky you're not important enough to me. My materials could be used for so much more."

I really did laugh now. Oh what, was she gonna _cast a spell on me?_

"Whatever you say." I snorted, pulling myself back into my room. "Just keep yer trap shut and we shouldn't have a problem."

"Don't underestimate me," she threatened, a childish pout on her lips that I _think_ was supposed to be a scowl. "Heathen."

I rolled my eyes. "Goodnight. Sabrina the teenage bitch."

She narrowed her gaze at me, unamused. "I'm twenty-one, asshole."

I chuckled at her, unlatching the window lock. "Coulda fooled me."

I could see her fuming. She was dragging her tongue all along her teeth, pressing it against the inside of her teeth as she struggled to find the right comeback. She huffed out at me then and roughly tugged her window down, turning away with a final, "Metal prick…"

I smirked lowly, closing my own window shut and slumping back into my bed. Her light went out and I was relieved to finally get some sleep. I closed my eyes shut and reveled in the silence for a good minute or two, before a laugh echoed in the darkness.

My eyes flicked open as a few more distant giggles were heard, and a loud squeak of a bed traveled from the room next to me.

"_Ohhhh…_"

Do not tell me they were at it again.

"_Oh!_ _Right there!_"

I grabbed hair and forced myself not to rip my entire scalp off. I growled loudly, smashing my fist into the wall.

"_Shut the hell up!_"

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**This accidentally got out of order, this was supposed to be last chapter, but it doesn't really matter that much. Hope you liked it!**


	46. Pranks

**Pranks**

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_"I've had it!"_

Laughter bounced off the walls of Lucy's apartment endlessly. She appeared in the doorway of her kitchen, a melody of drips pattering to the floor as she stood soaked to the bone in water. A tiny puddle had even begun to form beneath her as she shivered. Though it was obvious she seemed freezing at the moment, her eyes said something different. Yes, much different.

There was a fire blazing in them.

"When will you two just leave me _alone _already!" she cried, and stomped her foot. A _splash _sounded as water flew everywhere from her puddle, and resulted in the horrendous laughter growing even louder. "This is the fifth prank this _week!_"

Natsu and Happy were laid carelessly on her couch, tears in their eyes as they refused to show even a bit of sympathy for their partner. When the time came that they could manage to speak again, Happy sighed out a big breath. "Okay Natsu, you win the sink one."

He whooped then, throwing his hands up in the air, "In the lead again!"

Lucy, bitter about being ignored, came around to the two and planted her hands firmly on her hip, "You know prank wars are supposed to be between the two prankers, not anyone else! Leave me out of this! How did you even make the faucet freak like that anyways?"

"We found this prank store!" Natsu gushed, sitting up in his seat, "It's the coolest thing ever, they have everything there. Me and Hap stocked up big time, and it's all run by lacrima's! Isn't that great?"

Lucy glowered at the two. "Wonderful."

Spinning on her head, (and flinging her hair water on the two meanwhile), Lucy stalked away to the bathroom. Hearing, _"Oh come on Lucy, don't be such a downer!"_ behind her, she grimaced as she snatched a towel from the rack.

"I'm not being a _downer_, I'm mad! These pranks are annoying!" she hissed. She made a last ditch effort to throw a paperball of one of her old stories at the pair, but it plunked easily into Natsu's lap.

Natsu laughed at her dissatisfaction and she broodily dried herself off. Happy flew up into the air then and circled around her, as if his giant smile was taunting enough. "You wouldn't think so if you did one! C'mon Lucy you know what they say, if you can't beat 'em join 'em!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at that statement but an audible gasp came from beside them both, Natsu hopping up to his feet as well. "That's a great idea! Lucy you should join us, we'd be the best prank team ever!"

With the infamous prop of her hip, Lucy narrowed her eyes at the two, "And why would I ever join you two?"

Happy came to flutter down to Natsu's shoulder as they took their time thinking over a viable way to get Lucy to join. It took them a minute, but eventually they got it.

"We'll stop pranking you?"

That was good enough for her.

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"Why does it have to be Gray? He hasn't done anything wrong," Lucy complained. She looked out between the bars of the railing down to the lower level of the guild, her face smooshed between the two that were her partners.

Not only was they not allowed to be up there with the other S-Class mages, but also the prank that was so deviously devised was awfully cruel. In Lucy's opinion anyways.

"Why don't we prank bad people?" she questioned, "At least someone who deserves it…"

"Lucy," began Natsu, sighing that he had to explain this yet again, "Pranking people we don't know if half as fun as pranking people we do know. And Gray's no saint either, so he totally has this coming."

Settling back in his place, he got comfortable as he awaited the perfect moment to strike. Happy started to snicker at this and Lucy couldn't help but eye the tiny little lacrima ball he tousled with in his paws. She just couldn't believe such a tiny thing was able to do such a horrible thing.  
"Cana! Quit spilling that stuff everywhere!" Gray's voice echoed out below them, "Jeez."

The stomps of Gray's boots had the three waiting anxiously. Happy was barely able to contain his laughter, his furry cheeks bright red and eyes bulging from his face in a pathetic attempt to try and stay silent. His paw peeked from between the wooden rail bars and paused above the drop, everyone watching with very different expressions.

As the final stomp of a boot was heard right below the guild's overhang, Happy's paw dropped open and thus was the release of the lacrima. All three of them shot up on their feet as a shriek sounded throughout the entire guild, but something had them frozen in their places.

That scream was awful…feminine?

Glancing down below them, the three slowly peeked at where the lacrima landed. And what they saw was the realist creation of their worst nightmare.

"WHO DID THIS?" Erza's voice _screamed_.

She stood in the middle of the hall, covered head to toe in white glue. Her scarlet strands poked out as if it were streaming blood, her figure practically fuming _death_, but that wasn't even the worst of it.

In front of her feet was a mess. A shattered plate and a destroyed strawberry cake were splayed all over the floor, also covered in glue. She turned back to where the lacrima had come from, connecting her eyes with the three in the most paralyzing sense.

A _puff _sounded from her then and she was enveloped in a cloud, clearing in a mere second as that glue had magically sprouted _chicken feathers _all over her body. Everyone's eyes popped out, including Gray's who had been standing right next to her the entire time. He glanced up to the team that stood over the railing, and the shaking crease in the corner of his lips was enough to tell the three that they had messed up. _Majorly._

Erza's eyes found the upper floor again and no one was able to move a muscle on the account of the absolute _lividness_ in her irises. They went straight to the culprits.

"YOU!"

He barely had time to gulp before the railing they all leaned on exploded into the air. Erza was suddenly above them all, a _battleaxe _in hand and a thirst for vengeance in her veins. She crushed her feet through the wooden floor as she grounded herself, glaring down to the three now fallen on the floor.

"E-Erza! Hey!" Natsu sputtered out, "How are you?" You doing okay?"

Her figured rose up and down in a blind fury, little feathers still floating off of her and flying around in the air.

"Who _did _this?" she asked once again, her tone stating she wouldn't ask it again.

Lucy pointed to Natsu without a moment's hesitation, "It was him! They made me join their team, I didn't want to!"

Natsu gawked at her for throwing _him _under the bus, and saw Erza's death gaze switch to him. He held up his hands quickly, "I-It was meant for Gray! Not you! I didn't do it either, it was just an accident!"

A _shink _echoed as the blade to Erza's battle axe appeared a mere inch from Natsu's face. He glanced back to Lucy for help but caught the girl on the run, trying her best to crawl away on her hands and knees. He grabbed her ankle though and dragged her back, hearing her cry out.

"No no! Let me go!" she whined. She was yanked back to him though and felt an arm wrap around her waist. The next thing she knew she was held up to Erza by her _supposed _partner.

"Take her! She's the sacrifice! She was lying, it was her!"

Lucy shook her head forcefully, "No it wasn't! Erza c'mon you know I wouldn't do this!"

She elbowed Natsu's hands then and fell onto him as he released her, quickly sitting up to hide behind him. He didn't let her though and the two struggled to pick whoever would be closer to the blade currently pointed at them both.

"Well if neither of you did it," she seethed, stepping a foot closer. "Then who did?"

Lucy, who was now behind Natsu with her hands planted on his shoulders, peeked out. Natsu shoved her from there and she stumbled to a stop right beside him, and that's when their gazes connected.

It was amazing how much the two managed to convey without any words. A little trick they had picked up pretty quickly after being a team for so long.

"It was Happy!" they blurted together.

Well…it wasn't a lie.

Happy at that moment went pale as Erza whipped to him. He had been gradually slipping away as all sights were off of him, but in the end it was impossible to escape the mighty Titania. Judging by the cat's reaction as well, she had decided that this was the true culprit.

Natsu and Lucy sighed out the biggest breath as the exceed was snatched by his tail, crying fountains of water as he was dragged into the back room.

_"How could you do this to me! We were a team!"_ he wailed. Claw marks were scratched into the wooden walls as he tried everything to break free from his captor, and both Natsu and Lucy felt a pang of pity as he eventually disappeared behind the closed door.

It wasn't enough to try and save him though, as the majority of the guild had figured out when the two had disappeared themselves in the next second. It was cruel, but it probably was for the best as that door was thrown open soon again.

Happy fluttered out, snivelling, and gasps made its way all around the poor fellow. He was shaved bald, from head to toe. His pink skin was there for the entire world to see, and so were his wings. Plucked.

"This is how it's going to feel for me." Erza had said simply, before walking off, leaving a trail of feathers. "Now get cooking."

Happy floated over towards the guild kitchen and plunked down next to Mira. He was handed a bowl filled with cake mix and sadly began stirring it.

"They're so going to get it when I'm done with this," he growled, his arm strokes becoming more angry. A soft pat was placed on his head by Mira, a solemn smile on her lips as her eyes were too busy watching the silhouette of the pair running down the streets of Magnolia.

"I'm sure you will sweetie."


	47. Exiled

**"Uh, Natsu, pray tell me. Why does the magic council have me written down as your _wife?_"**

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I froze at this. This wasn't going like how I had thought it would. Nothing was, my plan was an utter failure and everything was about to get a thousand times worse. How did I know?

By the fuming blonde glaring daggers at me right now.

Okay quick Natsu think, how do I get out of this one? What were my options? Taking the mere _second _I needed to think over that, I found my movepool was pretty limited. Thus, Lucy being here in the first place I suppose…

She perked her eyebrows up like how she did when she was losing her patience and I scrambled to think of something to say.

"I needed insurance!"

Lucy was an understanding girl right? She would totally get what I was trying to do here.

"_Insurance?_" she repeated back, as if the word itself was disgusting. "Natsu don't you dare tell me you_planned _to do this!"

I scratched my nose. "Well…do you want the truth or..what you just said? Cause I can–"

"Natsu!" she hissed. Slapping her hand to her forehead, I coiled back as that tick in her expression formed. The one she usually got right before she kicked me into the wall.

Lucy calmed herself though as several pairs of eyes switched towards her way, and lowered her voice. "What the hell do you mean insurance?"

I grew a sloppy smile then, hoping to ease up some of her rigidity. "Well _c'mon,_" she didn't seem pleased at the look in my eye.

"They can't exile a married man."

Lucy's eyes bugged out, "Exile?"

"Yeah, so I need you to play along," I told her.

"Oh my god," she seethed, balling a fist to press to the bridge of her nose, "Oh my god."

"Look, everything's going to be fine okay?" I soothed.

"Is it? Is it really?" she narrowed her eyes.

Okay, I could see from where she was standing that this looked…bad. I stared back at her knowing gaze as she practically ground her teeth together, and I leaned my arms on the metal bars that separated us.

Yeah. I was in jail currently, at the moment, but I wasn't for long. I might have destroyed a small village a few hours back? And I know, usually that wasn't a big deal considering my existence, but it just so happened that one of the Magic Council's higher up yahoo's had a nephew in that village. He got…burned let's just say, and now I'm being prosecuted with everything that Magic Council jackass had in him.

The nephew totally deserved it though. I had accidentally stumbled on the loser _enslaving _some kids to do some weird magic work for him. It was messed up.

But yeah, I was supposed to be banished from Fiore or something in a day or two, so I was actually trying everything for that _not _to happen. Such as, me and Lucy being a happily married couple.

"Look," I said after a while of tense silence. I tried to seem casual about this to hopefully calm her down a little but she didn't seem to be having any of it. I rested my arms on the jail cell bars that separated us, and she merely tilted her head. "The council isn't gonna kick me out of Fiore alright? They can't do that if I'm married and have people to support."

"By the way!" I snapped my finger at her, "If anyone asks, we have a two year old daughter named Minnie, and she's currently staying at 'Aunt Mira's' while daddy's in the process of being deported."

"_What?_" she screeched again. She gawked at me like her mind was unable to comprehend anything I was saying, which was weird, considering she was definitely the smart one out of us both.

"C'mon Lucy you gotta play along, those guys have been looking at us for the past ten minutes trying to see if this is legit," I muttered lowly, through my teeth. She followed my eyes to the two men who sat by the end of the row of cell cages, their eyes glued to us both.

She did the most dramatic roll of her eyes then, poking her tongue to her cheek and banging her head to a metal bar. I fretted that she might break up this whole conspiracy I planned, but she muttered something then that had my hopes brightening up.

"I would never name my daughter _Minnie_," she gritted through her teeth.

I smiled despite the bite in her tone, crinkling my nose, "Really? I like it."

Pressing her forehead harder into the bar, she glared at me. "This is by far the stupidest plan you have ever thought of."

I felt that light of hope dimmer a bit, but tried to keep smiling. She would help me right? We were partners, of course she would. Right?

"Lucy c'moon. "

She pushed herself off the cell bars and I felt a jump in my stomach as she swerved on her heel. She started to walk away.

"Lucy I'm your husband! You can't do this!" I cried, pressing my cheeks between the bars.

She ignored me and kept walking down the hallway. I huffed out a groan.

_"What about Minnie?!"_

She threw her head back and glared at me as the door was thrown open, and left without another word. I slid onto the floor of the cell and moaned into my hands.

Shit.

* * *

"Natsu Dragneel, you're free to go."

I looked up to the guard jangling a pair of keys at me. I stood up from sitting on the floor and watched curiously as the door was opened for me.

"Seriously?" I asked. Not that I was complaining, but really, who would actually let me out?

I was led back out to the main foyer of the Magic Council's headcourters and I have to say, when I walked through those doors I was expecting a lot of things, and what I saw was not any one of those.

"Daddy!"

I creased my gaze as Wendy came shooting towards me and tackled me in a hug. I hugged her back despite not knowing what the hell was going on, and looked back over her head.

Lucy stood there, a hand on her hip and a gleam in her eye as she stood in the midst of a mass of council officials. A twist was found in her smirk as she stared at me so deeply.

My eyes grew wide as I realized what was happening. Wait she came through? She was using my plan?

"M…innie?" I tested out, watching everyone's reactions.

I saw the asshole who got me locked away glaring absolute daggers at me, and I knew then that this day was about to turn out a lot better than I had expected.

"Minnie!" I cheered. I picked Wendy up and spun her around, giving her a crushing hug.

"You're free to go! Mommy said you could stay in Fiore with us and take care of us!" Wendy said, her lines a bit choppy. She looked to me, unsure if she had said that right.

"That's right! Totally right," I laughed a big jolly laugh. "I could never leave you two here to DIE without me!"

Lucy grimaced as the council man went red with rage. He turned on his heel and walked away with a certain rigidness in his step.

I stopped myself from skipping over to Lucy, trying to keep my cool in front of all these magic losers. I couldn't help it though, I was way too damn happy.

"There you are," I cackled, jabbing her sides. She swatted away my hands, but I saw her force down a smile. "I knew you'd come for me!"

She stared me in the eyes and I could tell she was trying to be mad, but I knew for the life of her she couldn't be. "I want a divorce–"

I slammed my hand over her mouth and she muffled out the rest of her yell. I laughed despite and picked her up to spin her around as well. "No way! I love you too much! Minnie needs her mother!"

I finally got a laugh out of her as she shoved my face away from her and dropped out of my grip. "Stop that! I'm pregnant."

My mouth dropped open at her, and I glanced down to her stomach. "No way! _Lucy_–that's _amazing!_"

She gawked at me, turning red, "Not really you idiot, it's just what I told all these guys! We haven't even really–"

Cutting herself off, she huffed a heated breath. I saw Wendy watching us now, with a rather large group of pissed looking council goons and I bent down to pick her up in my arms. I hugged them both then and grinned like there was no tomorrow.

"Gah, I love this family." I sighed.

"This family isn't real," Lucy hissed.

I squeezed her tighter and heard a giggle come from Wendy. Okay, so maybe it wasn't. But who knows?

Maybe someday it will.


	48. Freaks and Creeps (6)

**Includes: Natsu&amp;Lucy, Mirajane**

**Lucy POV**

* * *

Freaks and Creeps

Part 6

.

.

.

An entire week.

That's how long it's been since Natsu mysteriously went missing. I visited that coffee shop every day and every day he's not there. There was some new guy in his place.

And weirdly enough, the place got suddenly busy 24/7, as if its popularity shot up tenfold. I wanted to ask someone what happened to him, but the place was literally crawling with students and I could never get a moment in with anyone. It was frustrating and also a little concerning.

I had to admit, I missed him. He was actually a pretty significant part of my day, as I had figured out recently. I didn't realize it but he cheered me up much more than I recognized, especially when I was in a rut or grumpy or anything of the sort.

The day was a little bland without him. I never realized how reliant on him I was to add some flare, something out of the usual daily grind.

I was carrying myself to the library now to get a start on Erza's history sessions. I figured if I was basically going to become her tutor than I would go all out. It was a good chance to try that teaching bit I'd been wanting to.

The nice weather was slowly going away again, meaning it was damn near freezing outside. I was a summer/spring kind of girl, I didn't like all the snow and colds and seven layers of clothing.

I also didn't like how long I had to walk between these damn buildings just to get to where I want to go. I was freezing my ass off even with this huge jacket on.

I huffed out a puff of air as I made my way down the sidewalk, in a hurried fashion, and felt a bit unnerved at the park next to me. It seemed the freezing air wasn't favored by a number of others. Usually the place would be bustling and full of people working on projects and relaxing and such, but there wasn't anyone in sight. It was nearly desolate.

Nearly.

I quirked an eyebrow as I saw some suspicious movement behind one of the trees that framed the street. I peeked over, quietly, (in case it was a creep) and spotted the one thing I was just thinking about.

Natsu.

He was hunched over on the curb of the street, his back to me and hands busy with something I couldn't see. Okay…he's been missing for a week and now he's hunched over on the side of the street, doing something in between his legs?

Right.

"Natsu?" I called out.

The boy practically jumped out of his skin. He nearly tripped in all the trash that gets thrown against the curb, whipping towards me fast enough to me wheeling back.

"Lucy! Oh man, it's just you." he breathed out a relieved laugh.

I eyed him like the crazy person he was acting like. Was everyone going insane in this town?

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

Natsu blew up his cheeks and gave a nonchalant shake of his head. "Nothing."

As if that weren't suspicious enough for me, my gaze was more interested in whatever the hell he was doing with his arms. He was practically hugging himself, which in this cold wasn't all that surprising, but the windbreaker he had on looked weird.

It was…unusually big.

He shuffled on his feet uncomfortably, keeping a rather low gaze on me.

"Okay…what were you doing?" I questioned now. He was definitely up to something.

His mouth dropped open without the slightest hesitation to tell me a lie, but it was when his jacket moved that everything he had planned to say just evaporated.

Yeah. His jacket moved.

He hugged himself tighter at this and screwed his mouth shut with the widest, most guilty eyes I had ever seen.

Natsu came towards me then in a sudden shift of movement, and next I knew his face was an inch from mine.

"Can you keep a secret?" he asked me, not exactly giving me a choice as he unzipped his jacket.

I drifted back from him, warily, and hesitantly leaned over to peek in his shirt. He was being weird, I didn't know what the hell to expect from him.

Apparently a big pair of eyes staring back at me wasn't something I expected. I shrieked, stumbling back against the tree, "What the _hell _is that!"

Natsu's jacket squirmed again and he shushed the crying creature inside like he was rocking an infant, "It's a cat!"

I backed up as he came closer and hid behind the tree, "Why the hell is _blue?!_ That's so not a cat!"

I saw it, I totally saw it—it was a monster. It was bright freaking blue and I could see its _scalp_.

"It is! I saw some kids torturing it earlier, they were spray painting it and shaving it and everything." Natsu said, with disappointment, "He's really sweet though, come here and look."

He stared at me and waved me closer, a smile teasing his lips. I complied, reluctantly, and he opened up his jacket to let the little thing breathe. I saw a blue fuzzy head pop out and meow loudly, its claws grasping at Natsu's shirt to try and climb up.

It was kind of cute…it just looked really sad.

"It's so tiny," I commented.

Natsu pet the kitten with his forefinger, the pad of his finger practically the width of the creature's head. It meowed happily at the act.

"I've been trying to sneak this little guy into my dorm for forever but my dorm advisor is a demon," he complained, with a little annoyance in his tone.

I laughed nonetheless, and tried petting the kitten where it would let me. "Are they really?"

I meant that as a joke but Natsu stared me down then, his gaze unwavering. "Really. I mean she's an actual demon."

I stopped short on that, quirking an eyebrow. Were there actual demons attending here? What the hell?

"Oh," I muttered in reply.

His expression reverted back into his causally curious look and he snuggled his cat further into his fuzzy coat to keep out the cold, "I'll protect him though. He'll be a much better roommate than the one I have now, isn't that right Hap?"

I nearly laughed at that name, "Hap?"

He looked up to me, his grin shining, "Short for Happy. Nice name huh?"

I didn't quite understand it, "Sure…why'd you pick that name though?"

Natsu shrugged at me. "Cause he makes you pretty happy, doesn't he?"

Happy peeked out from Natsu's coat as if he was called then and we both laughed at the curiously big eyes the feline had. I nodded then, eagerly. He actually did.

"You like cats?" Natsu questioned me.

I grimaced a bit, shrugged half heartedly, "Not really. I'm more of a dog person. I have the cutest puppy back at my dorm! His name is Plue and he's all white with a stubby tail."

Natsu perked up at this, "Your dorm?"

I nodded, thinking about the most _adorable _little guy ever, "No one ever sees him, he's okay."

Not that anyone could, Plue was sort of another spirit, so getting caught with an invisible dog wasn't something I had to worry about. He was different than the spirits, he couldn't talk or anything and his spiritual side was weak enough that I could withstand to see him. While the other spirits were the size of buildings, he was literally the size of a small dog.

I noticed Natsu was looking at me strangely then, but snapped out of it as soon as I looked at him.

"It's getting too cold out here for him, I've been wanting to bring him in but my advisor is always on my ass. It's like she already knows by the time I walk in." Natsu sighed, but perked up, "Hey…can you help me?"

Oh no. This always happened, people always asked me to help them or join something, _something usually involving breaking the rules_ and I _always _said yes. _Always_. I never wanted to though, and call me a wimp or whatever but I hated breaking the rules. I hated getting in trouble.

I always did though. Just because all my friends are criminals and for some reason I was attracted to them.

"I don't know Natsu, I'm not really the type to—"

"C'mon Lucy, _please?_" he pleaded, shining me his puppy eyes. He stepped closer and shoved Happy in my face, "Look at the lil guy, he's freezing!"

I swallowed at the shivering kitten. Shit. I felt my defenses weakening already.

"And it'll be fun! I won't get caught if you're with me," he added, causally.

I groaned. "Why me?"

I was sure a guy like him had a ton of friends–_criminal friends_ to help him. Why pick me? The one with no experience and not even that close to?

Natsu paused at that question, and he left it hanging in the air. I stared at him as he took a moment to think it over deeply, and I found myself anxiously awaiting his answer. I intended a regular one but–

"Because…you're nice."

Oh. That'll work.

"Nice?" I questioned.

He started to laugh then, as if trying to create a casual atmosphere. "Yeah! I mean you're cool, and I like you. I've always wanted a partner in crime."

I chuckled along with him at that comment. I couldn't help it, as weird as the compliment was, it was still sweet.

I was still hesitant though. He shook my shoulder back and forth pleadingly, "C'mon Lucy, help me sneak him in. My friend already has a cat of his own and it's totally not fair."

As if that were to make me any more willing.

"…Fine."

Natsu cheered. Ugh. Why couldn't I ever say no to people?

"But!" I cut off his grin, "If you're going to be taking care of him Natsu you'll need to prepare for it. You need supplies and stuff, do you have it?"

He shook his head.

I sighed. Waving a hand, I began to trudge down the street. "Let's go get supplies."

* * *

"Feather toy?"

Natsu let Happy peek out of his jacket to sniff the toy. He retracted back under his arm.

"Nope."

We walked down the store aisle, pushing the buggy to another section.

"Ball?" I shook it and a ring chimed out, "With a bell?"

Happy didn't even bother to come out.

"Nope."

I sighed and dug through a cat toy bin. I yanked out a tiny little cartoon fish and held it up to the crease of Natsu's jacket.

"Fish?" I asked.

Happy popped his head out and sniffed the toy, before licking the fur like it was a treat.

Natsu perked up, "Fish it is!"

I laughed and dropped it in the buggy. I looked at all the cat food and litter that we had collected and stretched my back, "I think this is good for right now, what do you think?"

Natsu nodded nonchalantly, but grinned at me. We made our way to the line to check out.

"Oh by the way, I kinda got fired from my job, so I don't know how much of this I can actually get." he said to me, as if it wasn't something he should have mentioned _before_.

But God did that make sense. He hasn't been to work in over a week, I should've assumed.

Maybe that was why the place actually had _business _now.

I whipped to him nonetheless, "What? Natsu! If you have no money then why are we shopping!"

He rocked Happy in his jacket like a baby, "Cause we need stuff for Happy?"

I held back a loud hiss, letting it seethe through my teeth. "How do you expect to take care of Happy if you don't have any _money? _How would you feed him?"

Natsu shrugged at that, "I figured I could sneak him some stuff from the kitchen. And he's already an outdoor cat, so he could just go out when he needs to."

I was really trying with him. "And you think letting Happy run around with your RA is the brightest idea?"

Now that made him think.

"Oh."

I groaned as our place in line came up. I huffed out though, calming myself and taking in a breath. "You know what? It's alright. How about I just pay for it?"

Natsu froze at me then and I stared back, warily. A gigantic smile broke out on his face then and next I knew everyone was looking towards us in the shop.

"_Lucy! _That's so great, you're the best!" he all but _yelled_. I felt my cheeks heating up in embarrassment as people stared at us.

"_Thank you_," I gritted, his arm slung around my shoulder.

I couldn't help but sigh out as he grinned down to me. It was amazing how I had both no patience and tons of it at the same time. This guy was going to be the end of me.

* * *

"Okay here's plan B," Natsu huddled me closer outside the doors to his dorm building. After a runthrough of 'Plan Happy' and 'Plan A', and the rejection of said plans, we were ready to finally try and sneak this damn cat in. He ducked all three of our faces in a circle and I honestly felt like this was going to go terribly, and I haven't even heard the entire plan yet.

"Me and Happy are gonna sneak in there, and that's usually when she comes out to talk to me. It'll be your job to help distract her and keep her off our trail." he said.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" I inquired.

"You're the talkative one, how should I know?" he shrugged uselessly, before peeking up into the window that showed the corridor. He looked down to me and cracked half a smile at my grimace. "You always figure stuff out though, I'm sure we'll be fine."

I didn't even get a chance to reply before he stood up and composed himself. He stuffed Happy deeper in his jacket and zipped it up tighter, making sure no furry limbs or blue tails were sticking out in any places. Satisfied with his appearance, he looked to me expectantly.

Right. Here we go.

Natsu and I walked in side by side to his dorm building. I tried to keep my suspiciousness under the radar but I typically wasn't one for telling a good lie. I couldn't help that I sucked at playing people, the guilt always got to me and I was pretty much an open book with my feelings, which wasn't something that would be in our favor.

It couldn't hurt to try though, right?

We barely got a few steps into the main lobby, in all its loud and breathy ambiance, before something whizzed right by me. I jumped at that, turning my gaze wildly to the werewolf _tackling _someone and rolling around playfully. A shout burst out at the two then as they stumbled all over someone's project that was laying on the floor.

I breathed out a breath nonetheless that it was only that. I had no idea what to expect. I mean was Natsu's dorm advisor actually a _demon?_ Like, the whole underworld, burning in hellfire type of demon? What would she look like? Would she steal my soul or something if I pissed her off?

This was terrifying. And how the hell would I _lie _to a demon? That's the worst way to meet someone! What if she was mean? I mean if she got _Natsu _all twisted up then what did that mean for me?

Oh god, I'm going to die.

We hurried our steps to the back staircase to get upstairs, but in all honesty, we barely got through the corridor before something popped up in front of me. I jumped _again_, a shriek in my stomach, but felt Natsu pin me down in place.

It was only a girl, thank god. And she was totally beautiful, holy shit. I felt my rigidness easing at her bright blue eyes.

"Hey Natsu!" she beamed, smiling brightly at the both of us.

I felt Natsu tense up, "Mira! Hey, hey–how are you?"

She did a little curtsey in her place, "I'm wonderful, thanks for asking! And how are you?"

"Great!" Natsu blurted out a laugh. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, and I felt him bump into me.

I looked up to the side of his face, confused. Was that the queue? Crap, I should've listened to his plan, I just zoned out after his initial _'create a fire diversion_'. Which, I didn't get considering he supposedly could spark fire.

Mira looked to the both of us, studying me with a light in her eye, "Well what are you two up to?"

Natsu pushed me again. For the diversion? Wait–was _she?_ She was the–_Mira was the demon?_ The actual demon dorm advisor he was talking about?

Oh _shit._

"Uh…"

What the hell? Where were her horns? And scales and _hellfire?_ Why did she look so sweet and innocent, this wasn't right! Not at all! I wasn't prepared for this!

"Well…me and Natsu, we uh–" I paused, embarrassingly long, and swallowed thickly. "…I love your hair! How do you get it so wavy?"

She clasped her hands, an excited breath leaving her lips, "Oh thank you! It's natural, surprising I know," she giggled, her snowy white hair flipping over her shoulder.

Natsu switched his eyes between us as we talked and inched away, holding his jacket tightly. As if sensing this though, Mira whipped her head straight back towards him, freezing him in his spot like she had just sent an ice ray from her eyes.

"Natsu you seem a little tense," she laughed, cocking her head. Her irises gleamed with such a passive aggression that she might as well be the embodiment of the little smiley face. "Don't tell me you're up to no good again, you know I hate it when you stir up trouble."

She narrowed her eyes at him as a smirk played on her lips and I could have sworn our entire cover was blown right then. How did she know? We weren't even doing anything!

Natsu side-eyed me a glance, practically begging for some help, and I remembered that it was supposed to be me to distract her. _Shit_, why did I sign up for this job?

"Don't tell me you two are up to something?" she waggled her finger at us both, a very _disturbing _fire in her eye. I mean…she had to know right? She practically _aired _that she already did, or was this some bluff to get us to spill?

"N-No!" I blurted out a _terrible _laugh. Natsu changed his gaze to me, creasing his eyes like he was eyeing some wild animal in his living room. "We're totally not doing anything! Me and Natsu we, we–" I swallowed the dryness in my throat, "We're…making…flyers…?"

Mira rose an eyebrow at this, "Flyers?"

I nodded slowly, painfully, as I had no idea where this was going. From the look on Natsu's face, neither did he.

"Yeah, flyers!" I offered a chuckle, "For the uh, the…rally?"

Mira and I both exchanged looks of confusion.

"Rally," she inquired. She didn't even sound like she was buying this bullshit. Hell I wouldn't buy this bullshit.

"Yeah," I nodded insistently, "Natsu is actually _really _into animal right–" he glared at me heavily, "SOCIAL rights! Totally into social rights!"

I snapped my fingers into guns and pointed at her, the smile plastered to my face growing weary. Was this working? I couldn't even tell, she was just staring at me. Should I keep talking?

"…Cause you know…racism…it's pretty bad," I elaborated.

Mira seemed to wait to see if I was done talking, and finally spoke up, "It is."

I opened my mouth to speak again, but as I decided by the looks the two were giving me, that probably wasn't the best idea. I didn't know what else to say but I had to say _something _right? Silence at this point was the worst thing to have.

"And…did you know that over 12% of the–"

Whatever was left of the sentence I was currently making up stumbled out from my lips as my wrist was snagged, sending me wheeling on my feet.

"Well uh we got tons of flyers to make so we gotta go! Like _now_," Natsu insisted, dragging me down the hallway. I glanced back to Mira staring at us with a certain look I couldn't distinguish, and felt his grip tighten around me, "Racists aren't gonna stop themselves!"

I picked up the footing as it seemed this was actually going to be our escape and we darted around the corner towards the back stairwells. Natsu looked flustered as hell as we hurried down the hallway.

_"What the actual hell was that?"_

"I'm sorry, I'm not a good liar!" I whined.

"That was _awful_, completely _awful_–!"

"I know!" I groaned. We shoved open the door and ran up the stairs.

"You're so bad at lying, _so bad_," he whispered, with a pained shake of his head.

I pouted at this, biting my lip, and soon enough we came to a slow walk. With Mira out of sight, both of us heaved a giant sigh of relief, utterly baffled that we somehow managed to actually pass her.

Natsu checked on Happy in his jacket as we made our way to his room, and I was surprised that the upstairs was just as insane as the downstairs. It seemed all types of species lived out here, it was hard to distinguish any one. It seemed like there were even a few normal ones? Hm, interesting.

Both of us ducked into his room and he searched the place before peeking down his jacket again. I dropped all our supplies on the floor near a bed.

"I guess my roommate's out," he said, unzipping his jacket. I took a gander around as Happy eagerly popped out from his confines and plunked to the floor. The little feline stretched and yawned in the sunlight that shone through the window, the pink patches of his scalp and skin becoming completely visible between the vivid hairs of his fur. Jeez the cat looked pathetic.

It wasn't long before he went exploring about the room with a taste for adventure.

And _jesus _would it be. This place was an absolute _mess_. It looked like an episode of Hoarders in here! At least, for half of the room? It seemed Natsu's roommate was a little more tidy with his stuff than him, but all in all the place looked like a tornado ran through it. I bit back the urge to move all the junk away from me.

"What _is _all this stuff?" I gawked at the literal _mountain of junk_ at the foot of one of the beds. I was afraid to touch it, yet also really craving to too…

Natsu had gazed back to me at this, too busy unpacking all his new cat toys and such, and grinned widely at me, as if I just asked about his greatest memory or something. "Oh, that stuff? I dunno, just cool stuff I found around. They're neat, you should look through it!"

I did so as he went back to trifling through his bag and studied the mound warily. It was just…junk. Old coins, some antiques, a couple of broken necklaces and rusted rings. Everything was tangled and messy, and strangely, bronze colored. It was like a treasure pile.

This stuff was everywhere. Just old stuff that had no use? Probably was rather shiny and pretty in its day? Did he just collect shiny items?

Wait a second.

Hoarding? Shiny items? Kidnapping smaller beings and taking into their home?

I guess this whole 'dragon race' thing really did influence their lives more than I thought. That was actually pretty hilarious. I mean he was literally attracted to 'gold' and _hoarded _it in his room. How cliche could you get?

"What?" he asked suddenly. I realized he caught me laughing to myself at the whole idea and shrugged it off.

"Nothing."

I looked around some more and came to conclusion that shiny objects weren't the only thing Natsu 'hoarded'. Clothes. Everywhere. Thrown shoes and stacks of what seemed like class work that looked untouched. I wouldn't be surprised if wasn't.

With the room separated so drastically by personality, it wasn't hard to figure out which bed was his. I went to the one on the left side of the room and dropped a knee onto it, my eyes attracted to the colorful piece hanging on the wall above his bunk.

It was a corkboard. As my eyes scanned the several pictures and paper clippings of random events pinned up by pins and string, it seemed as though Natsu was also quite the sentimentalist. I laughed to myself as the phrase 'memory hoarder' popped up in my mind.

There was clippings from everything it seemed, only a few pictures of people I didn't know along the sides. He was in most of them so I suppose he wasn't the one to be keeping up with the scrapbook. The only thing I seemed to recognized was a paper that seemed to be Natsu's coffee shop application form. It was off from the middle and just a scrap of the piece, but he pinned it up nonetheless.

I drifted closer as I saw something connected to it with a piece of string.

**_Met Lucy here!_**

I read that with a twist in my smile.

"Okay it's all set," Natsu's voice hollered out. I hopped off the bed and came up by his side, peering over his figure to the little set up he had made for Happy. Food bowl, water bowl, toys scattered about; it looked cute.

"Alright Happy! Come check out your new stuff!" he beamed, whipping around to the kitten.

An empty space was what his eyes were met with instead. We looked around some more, kicking over old shirts and shiny things and found Happy nowhere to be seen.

"Hap?" Natsu called out, flinging blankets off his bed. He turned to me with a stumble in his step and we stared at each other knowingly.

Our gaze switched to the crack in the door.

"_SHIT_," Natsu yelled.

"You didn't close the_ door?_" I hissed.

"I didn't think he'd run out! I didn't think about it," he groaned. He dragged a hand down his face and hooked his fingers on the inside of his mouth.

I pressed a finger to my temple and focused on pushing away the _serious _headache I felt coming.

"We gotta find him before Mira comes snooping around here!" Natsu urged, darting towards the door.

He peeked out and scanned the area for demon activity and whispered Happy's name as if the cat knew his name already. We stuck side by side as we slowly made our way down the hallway, peeking our heads in and out of dorm rooms to look for a ball of blue fur.

You would think he would stick out more with that god awful color but we were having some serious trouble, and it wasn't like we could ask anyone for help. Natsu said Mira had ears everywhere and by this point, I didn't know who I feared more: Erza or Mira.

That was truly a question to be asked.

"There! Did you see that?" Natsu blurted out suddenly. He took off down around the corner and I followed hot on his feet.

I curved around the corner as well and perked up at the sight of blue. Happy was sauntering down the hall with the brightest gleam in his eye. He trotted in between peoples legs and various items littering the path, his gaze attracted to anything that moved around him.

"Happy!" Natsu hissed under his breath.

We tried to seem casual as we chased this damn cat through the entire floor, but the little devil always slipped out of our grasps before he could be caught. He paused for a moment as he spotted us, stopping up traffic as people started to notice the blue ball in the middle of the hallway and watched as Natsu lunged at him.

The critter leap out of his reach and jumped up and down playfully. He met Natsu's glare with a mischievous gleam.

Happy dart off down the hall then, leaving before a string of meow's for us to follow.

Natsu and I curved around the corner in enough time to catch the absolute asshole run straight into the open showering room. The door closed behind him as a boy wrapped in a towel left.

"Shit!" he cursed again. He groaned out loudly and grabbed at his hair. "Of course! He _would _run into there of all places!"

I studied him in confusion, "What's the big deal? He's trapped in there, just go get him."

"I can't," Natsu murmured, hands on his hips. I looked to him expectantly and he seemed a bit guilty then as he scratched his nose. "I'm banned. If I go in there then there's a _slight _possibility I might get kicked out of this dorm."

"_What?_" I cried. "How do you get banned from the _showers?_"

He glanced to me then and started to laugh, as if remembering the fine memory he made behind those doors. He stopped at my glare then and cleared his throat. "It's a long story. Got a little carried away with a prank. Point is Lucy, you gotta go get him."

I busted out a shriek of a scoff, "_Excuse me?_ No way in hell! Naked people are in there, naked _boys!_"

"Please Lucy! We gotta get Happy, he's probably terrified in there!" he begged.

"Yeah he's probably seeing more of people than he'd like," I snapped, "Same goes for me!"

I felt my shoulders get grabbed then and my eyes forced to meet his pathetic ones. "Pleaase!"

He shook me back and forth and I swatted his hands away. I grimaced at his squeaky voice. Reluctantly turning my gaze to the boys shower room, I muffled back a very loud scream.

Why did I always have to say yes?

* * *

Peeking my head inside, my eyes scanned the area quickly for a blur of blue. Hearing several showers running and deep voices echo through the tile room, I swallowed and prepared myself for a traumatic experience.

"Happy?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice low. The last thing I wanted was to gather attention in here.

I slowly and carefully made my way around the shower cubbies, peeking my head in and out of each one. It was when I saw a curtain open and water sloshing around in a certain space that I swerved and sauntered out.

Jeez, did guys not close their curtains? What the hell, didn't they want privacy? What if someone walked by, did they just not care?

I'll never understand men.

"Happy!" I hissed under my breath. I was going to kill this cat as soon as I got my hands on it.

I curved around a corner and spotted a flash of electric blue, but a shriek got caught in my throat. I stumbled back behind the wall, my eyes actually _burning_.

I just saw three guys. Two bare asses and the other guys legs wide open for the world to see what was in between. Laughter sounded out from them as if they knew I was about to hightail my ass out of here.

I sucked in a breath and hesitantly peeked over, searching for another blur of blue. I caught the critter trotting along the back wall, towards another aisle of cubbie showers. I followed parallel to him and darted down the slippery path. A drop of sweat dripped down my temple from all the steam and heat from the hot showers surrounding.

I saw the cat and he definitely saw me. He froze in his place surprisingly as I made my way down and I added a little skip in my step before he ran away again.

Something flashed out of the corner of my eye at that moment and I skidded to my feet, colliding into some _hard_. I screeched as something caught the hold of my shirt and kept me from slipping and falling onto the floor.

"_Jesus _fu–"

"What the hell lady?"

I whipped up to the apparent _boy _I ran into, harsh eyes piercing mine without a waver. My blood went ice cold in veins as I felt my clothes begin to soak wet and certain parts become more _tangible_.

I shrieked and slipped across the floor to make distance. Naked–he was _naked _and I _touched _him. I moaned out and covered my eyes from his figure as I found my eyes travelling south.

"Sorry sorry I'm sorry! Oh my god," I blurted. I swerved on my heel to flee the mortifying scene and thus; everything _imploded_.

Boys in all sectionalspeeked out of their showers at my girlish screech, all eyes darting straight towards me. I felt my skin _burning _in the most painful kind of fire.

They were _everywhere _holy shit. Get out, _get out._

Covering my eyes to try and keep some of my pride and sanity, I scurried back towards the exit. Slamming the door shut behind me, I released a long awaited squeak of humiliation.

"Did you find him?" I heard next to me.

I glanced to Natsu staring at my empty hands worriedly.

"_No_," I snapped, "I didn't! I did get traumatized for the rest of my life though!"

Natsu groaned loudly into the air. "He's still in there?"

I gaped at him. Gee thanks for the comfort?

The door was knocked open then and I hid behind Natsu's shoulder, afraid of both seeing another private part and being yelled at for invading the boys shower room.

The same guy I bumped into strolled out from behind the door, a reluctant drone in his steps as he turned to face the both of us. He was holding a furry kitten.

"Is this yours peeping tom?" he asked, skipping right over Natsu to me.

I stared at him, now thankfully adorned in a towel around his hips, and gaped out. Please don't tell me that's what all of those guys in there think?

"Happy!" Natsu cheered. He jogged forward and took the purring cat from his hold.

The man took one glance at Natsu then, as if just noticing him and rolled his eyes.

"I should've known this was you," he spat out, holding onto his towel. Water dripped down his body and his blonde hair laid flat on his head. He looked like a drenched cat himself. "What kind of bullshit are you pulling now?"

"None of your business Laxus, back off," Natsu growled, glaring at him all the sudden.

I switched my eyes between the two as some rough tension sprouted up, and I got the feeling these two had somewhat of a past. Didn't see his face anywhere on corkboard though, so that pretty much spoke for itself.

"I always knew you were a dumbass, but letting a cat run around here with Mira on watch out? Pretty stupid even for you," Laxus insulted, his lips tight. The two squared up shoulders, Laxus being a good head and half taller than Natsu and about twice as wide.

I hated to say it, but I was fairly sure Laxus could kick his ass if he wanted to. His tough demeanor didn't phase Natsu though, because he stared at man straight in the eyes without a waver.

"I ain't getting caught, so you just keep your mouth shut about it." he said.

Laxus let a smirk slip onto his lips at this, and ducked his head down to Natsu's level. That only seemed to infuriate him more. "What if I don't?"

I had never seen Natsu so irritated. He might as well have a comical twitch in his eye.

"I'll kick your ass."

I perked up at this threat, watching quietly. The two shared quite an intimate moment of feelings I'm sure I wouldn't understand, before Laxus broke it with straightening his posture. His smirk never faltered for a second, but he swerved around, sparing me a careless glance, before disappearing behind the shower door again.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. That was intense, jeez.

"I'm guessing you know him?" I rose an eyebrow.

The anger that had built up behind Natsu's eyes diffused in less than a second as he turned to me. He came over and cradled Happy closely. "Hate that guy, he's such an asshole."

I scoffed a laugh. He looked up to me then, catching my gaze and offered me a small smile, "Thanks for doing that for me. I heard a bunch of screaming, was it that bad?"

I chuckled softly, "It was something. Let's just get this little troublemaker back to the room alright?"

He nodded at me enthusiastically and we hurried back to the room, making sure to shut the door now. We both sighed out an exhausted breath.

Happy strolled around the room now and drank some water, before finding Natsu's pillow and curling up on it. He sure didn't mind making himself at home.

"Hey, now that we're free I can show you that trick I've been wanting to! And my asshole roommate isn't here so I can go all out!" he suddenly spoke up, beaming me a blinding grin. He was just made of energy, wasn't he?

I started to reply then, but all the sudden I felt this intense need to glance out the window. I did so in a snap and found my eyes connected with a certain wall of light. It hurt to look at, but I didn't need to look at it any longer. I knew what it was.

Loke.

God, I hated it when he manipulated my senses like that, it was really intimate and uncomfortable. His body morphed itself into his human appearance, clad in a nice black suit and a shine in his glasses. He waved at me impatiently.

"Lucy?"

Oh shit. Erza, _tutoring_. I totally forgot.

"Actually Natsu I just forgot, I have to go do something for a friend. Rain check?" I offered, half smiling.

He seemed confused, "Okay..sure."

I grabbed my bag off the floor and waved at him as a headed towards the door, "I'll see you later alright? Don't burn anything down."

He pouted at that last part and I laughed. I cracked open the door and took one last glance to Happy snuggled up on his pillow. The cat might be a jerk, but he sure was cute.

I caught Natsu looking out the window then and a certain look of confusion littered his face.

I shook my head with a smile, and left.


	49. The Spy Upstairs (7)

**The Spy Upstairs**

**Part 7**

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Natsu didn't say anything on the way home. I couldn't think of anything to say either, and I wasn't sure I should even try at all. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk anyways.

I could understand, I mean, some psycho murderer just told him he was his brother. It wasn't exactly a matter that called for a cheering up session. Maybe he should just sleep it off, it has been a long night. More for him than for me, though.

I wondered desperately what he was thinking. It was obvious that he had no idea this was going to happen, but, did he really not know that he had a brother? Didn't he have any clue when he was younger? I made the mistake of asking once how he got into what he did, I didn't want to do it again. But God was I so curious. I didn't understand, I just wanted answers. I suppose he did too.

We both sat in our little elevator as it slowly went up five floors, and I think this was a record time for the longest amount of silence we've endured together. I hated it. I wanted to talk to him, so badly, but where would I even start? I wanted to comfort him, console him, but this was Natsu. It wasn't like he was going to burst out crying or anything. The least I could think to do was let him know I was here for him.

I knew that Fairy Tail was like a family to him, obviously, but I never really saw him connect with anyone there. No one really treated him seriously, he was like a little kid most everyone had to look after. I knew he loved them, and they loved him, but…they didn't seem as friendly and nice to him as I expected. He didn't seem to be very good friends with anyone, and that's what worried me most. What if he didn't have anyone close to share his thoughts with? Other than Happy? I would go insane if I didn't have anyone close to find comfort in.

The elevator suddenly dinged and opened up to my floor. I wanted to say something. Should I? Was it okay? What if he thought I was babying him like everyone else? But, I was concerned, wasn't I allowed to be concerned?

I took a step towards the doors, but I ended up swinging right to him. "Look Natsu–"

"Do you wanna come up with me?"

We both stopped short on our tongues as we chorused that, and I blinked at him. "What?"

He shrugged feebly. He let his gaze travel around everywhere but me, and shrugged again. I had never seen him so timid before. "Well–it's been a long night and…I'm sure you have a bunch of questions."

He finally looked at me, and it was obvious he was trying his best to seem casual. I smiled at him though, meekly. "Well sure, but you don't have to tell me anything if you rather not."

"I want to," he said, and I was surprised to find a small grin of his own, "I don't really mind, and…I like your company."

He didn't want to be alone. He stared as he saw I realized this and let our gaze break. I understood though. I guess I wouldn't want to be alone either.

"Okay." I agreed. I let the doors close and settled right by his side again. He fell quiet as we slowly went up another floor, and I could see there must have been a storm in his mind. It made me really upset to see him acting so unlike himself. He put on that smile for me, but it dropped as soon as I glanced away.

I just wanted him to be okay.

Natsu caught me staring at him and I offered a smile. I hoped I would get a real one back but barely half of one made it up to his lips. He led me back to his apartment.

We both came in and I saw he went straight for Happy. The cat easily slipped into his arms after being picked up and soon enough was walking around on his shoulders, mewling and being loud and…cheering Natsu up.

Was I jealous that a cat could make him feel better than I did? I'll be honest, a little bit.

Natsu and Happy left into their bedroom and I figured I should just wait out here, but Natsu nodded at me a second before he disappeared to follow. I hesitated on doing that. The last time I was in his bedroom, I was about 75% sure he was going to murder me.

Now, I wasn't sure what he had planned.

Happy jumped onto the bed and the first thing I saw when I walked in was Natsu tugging his shirt over his head. I had seen him do that before, but the twist in my gut would suggest it was my first time. He had his back to me (thankfully), and I tried really hard not to be engrossed at staring. It was just…that was a lot of scars.

Normally I'd be like 'hey that's pretty cool', but it was an upsetting atmosphere tonight and now I just felt really bad because I never really took what he did seriously and I really should have. It didn't seem like he took it seriously either, but maybe that was before I knew so much about what he did, and I never noticed.

There were slash marks and burn scars and bunches of little circular ones that I assumed were bullet wounds. I bit down on my tongue. I wonder how much those had to hurt.

He was putting on another shirt a second later, and right as I saw he was fumbling with his pants I spun around. I guess he didn't care whether I watched or not, but I figured some privacy was harmless.

"So…" I didn't like the silence. Rather, the quiet noises of him getting undressed. Why wasn't he saying anything? He always had something to say.

I heard the bed squeak and peeked out from my hands. He was taking off his shoes now, I guess he just switched into whatever he wore at home. Glancing back up to me, I heard a hint of a smile.

"So?" he asked, casually. He shrugged at me.

After a moment he fell back onto his bed with a long, exhausted sigh. I eased up at this. He was just tired, I shouldn't be worrying so much. I came around to the side and stared at him as he just laid there and still said nothing.

How could he not say anything? Why wasn't he saying anything? A massive part of his life could have just been unveiled, he could have an actual _sibling _and he didn't seem like it was huge deal. _It was._ He didn't even seem that surprised, what the hell was going on inside his head?

"You don't really think Zeref could be your brother, right?" I asked, with my voice smaller than I had liked.

Natsu paused at this, and for a while I waited for him to say something. It didn't seem like he would, his gaze was staring straight out to space and his expression blank, but he cleared his throat then, as if pulling himself back into reality. He merely raised an eyebrow, with a pondering purse on his lips. "I don't know."

I held back a roll of my eyes at the abrupt answer, but he continued before I could ask anything else.

"Maybe."

This…caught me off guard. His eyes were as blank and dull as they had been since the interrogation, but, the way he said that had me changing my entire outlook on him. He said that with more confidence than I expected, not that I expected him actually considering it at all. That faraway look in his eye seemed a lot more present now, and I realized that maybe, ever since the interrogation, he was trying to remember something that could give him some answers.

It looked like he's been on the brink of finding them all night. Was he really thinking that hard about it? Why? Wouldn't he have known?

I sat down on the bed next to him, crawling up to his side and stared at his face. I must've looked pretty bewildered, because it actually snapped him out of his little trance.

"You really think he might be your brother? Really?" I pestered him. He simply gave me a clueless look. I hated that look, especially in such a moment like this. Why the hell was he so calm about this? "Well, wouldn't you have known if he were–"

I cut myself off then. I was starting to ramble and I never said anything good when I did, like just now. His eyes dazed off again, and I felt that I might have crossed a line I made the mistake of doing before. Maybe it was just me. I already asked once about…how he got into what he did, and it didn't go too well. I tended to try and avoid that topic since.

He didn't seem bothered though. In fact, he smiled. It was solemn and even a little weak, but it was a smile.

"You can ask me Lucy, you don't gotta be so scared," he said, abruptly. With a comic roll of his eyes, I gaped at him.

"I'm not scared! I just—I don't know…" I muttered, fiddling with a string of his blanket.

"You wanna know why I'm not…so surprised with the whole Zeref thing. It's alright." he conveyed.

"Is it?" I asked. I stared at him more intensely than I should've, but his reassurance was something I could feel radiating off of him. I just didn't want to overstep my boundaries, whatever those might be. Not that he was 'mister distant' himself.

He laughed even after that, shooting me a look. "Well, it's not like we haven't shared personal stuff before. Remember a few weeks ago, when you were 'sick'?"

I frowned at him deeply, pointing my glare straight into those damn green eyes of his. I nearly growled; that was something I regretted so badly. I'm not going into detail, but let's just say that I had an…_indigestion _problem, and he just so happened to be the person that I needed to confide in. Whatever, he was closer than my phone and I didn't feel like putting in the extra effort.

The point is, "We don't talk about that. Ever."

Natsu smirked at me, and kept his mouth shut. I smacked his arm lightly then, pouting now, "And that's completely different. I mean, you know everything about me and my parents, but…"

He nodded along, listening visibly, and said, "Well, I never knew my parents."

I stopped short of this, wondering why he said that like it was some _funfact _you learned in school, and waited for him to continue. He did eventually, and as my obvious curiosity wanted, he actually told me about himself. Like, actual stuff about his life.

He'd never done that before. He always managed to snake his way out of it, whether by cracking a joke or having a sudden craving for pie and leaving me in the dust, he avoided it like the plague. And as much as I loved joking around and talking nonsense with him, I was just really grateful that he saw me as someone important enough to share it all with. It made me feel special, and with someone as hard to understand as him, I couldn't help the longing twist in my gut.

He spoke for a while, which was weird hearing, because usually all he ever said were short cracks or shouts of glee. He never droned on or said too much, he was never boring. Loud yes, but never boring.

Even now, as I listened to him tell me what had happened to him as a child, and as terrible as it was, I couldn't bring myself to dissolve away from the conversation. I didn't feel like interrupting or asking questions, because even I could tell that this particular moment was something more intimate than what he's used to, and I didn't want to ruin anything. He seemed a little discomforted and hesitant to be saying so much, but he pressed through it. For me, maybe?

Anyways, apparently when he was really little, his house caught on fire. His parents didn't make it out, but he did. He was considered the sole survivor, but he never really did understand how he managed to escape.

"It's crazy how much you forget about your life," he said at some point, "There's so much you can't remember, so many holes in your memories, it's kind of weird to think that you've done things that you can't really remember ever doing."

I had never really thought about that; it seemed that Natsu probably had more questions about that night than anyone else. He told me that it was unclear how the fire was started, whether accidental or not. Maybe even intentional. After that though he was adopted by a man named Igneel, and the way Natsu just went on and on about how amazing this man was as a father just made me sorely jealous. He sounded incredible, Natsu couldn't point a single flaw from him, and it made me happy to see how much he loved his father.

Igneel was a busy man though, they didn't get to see much of each other, but when they did the time was well spent. Natsu had wondered for years what Igneel did for his job, but he had always swerved the matter whenever brought up.

It wasn't until Igneel died, that Natsu was able to find that answer. He told me again that he didn't remember much, and by the way his expression creased so lowly, I figured that he was somewhat glad he couldn't relive those memories. Igneel was murdered, and Natsu thinks it was because of him. There wasn't anything concrete of course, but those memories Natsu had buried in his head were pretty convincing to him.

"That night when that weird assassin guy came, and you were stitching me up, you asked me who the first person I murdered was." he said, and fell strangely quiet after. He looked to me. "It was my dad."

I could see the weight that neared down on him as he said that, the overwhelming guilt he must have felt and I refused to believe it. After spending how many minutes talking about how much he loved the man and how utterly amazing he was? No. It was just something Natsu thought because he couldn't do anything to save him when he was younger.

Igneel was murdered, and that was when Natsu was taken in by Fairy Tail. Apparently he finally did find out what his father did. The reasons behind Igneel's death were vague, but Natsu believed that Igneel and the house fire were connected somehow. He was there when their house was raided, and the men that threatened Igneel had asked about it.

They wanted to know about the house fire. About who survived it. And when they saw Natsu, no older than eight years old, they lashed out.

And that was that.

Natsu embodied confusion in every form. He remembered that night so vividly; those men. They wanted to know about the survivors of the fire, they knew Igneel took one, but they believed there was another. They wanted to know so badly, and they were so pissed to see him. To see how young he was.

They were looking for someone. Another survivor, that wasn't Natsu.

That's why Natsu was considering Zeref's declaration.

"You think he was there?" I asked at one point.

Natsu, by now was on his side facing me. He shrugged tiredly. "It would make sense."

It was just so hard to wrap my head around. Having a secret brother, one you never even knew and now is the country's most wanted criminal? I couldn't imagine the storm in Natsu's head.

"You know this isn't your fault," I reminded him, gently, "You didn't know he even existed Natsu, you couldn't of done anything to help him."

He didn't say anything, but I knew what he was thinking. If Zeref had had Natsu when he was younger, maybe things could have turned out differently. Thousands of people could still be alive with their families if they hadn't separated after the fire. But, he just had to know that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't even 100% sure that they were related.

He scratched at his hair and hummed a dull tone. My stomach twisted in longing as I felt like nothing I said comforted him. I didn't know what to say anymore.

I just wanted him to feel better.

"It's been a lot tonight. I'm tired." he sighed.

I figured he said that as my queue to leave, but he turned then. He shifted to his stomach and I felt his arm drape across my torso, burying his face into the blankets next to me. A solemn silence drifted throughout the air and I watched carefully as he remained still. I sighed out.

I guess he really didn't want to be alone.

Flicking off the light, I settled down next to him, careful not to disrupt him. I suppose I was tired too, but when things like this happened I tended to have a tough time falling asleep. I liked thinking too much.

Finding not much else to do, I played with his hair until I felt sleepy.

That took a while, though.

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**review! **❤ **happy 50th chapter!**


	50. A Mechanic's Wish

**A Mechanic's Wish**

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The day was hot and sticky for Lucy. Constantly being out in the sun and stuck under giant hunks of burning metal really did a number on her sometimes. She couldn't even remember how many times she cursed that damn maintenance man for insisting he fixed the air conditioning, even though she was pretty sure he whacked it with a hammer a few times and called it a day.

Wiping a drop of sweat from her brow, she continued to fumble with the mess above her. A jumble of wires and metal components were splayed to her like a giant jigsaw puzzle. She just didn't understand how one person could manage to fuck up a car like this.

She will never understand those people who think they can fix anything without any training. They see one infomercial and go to work as if they think they have a masters degree in it, it was ridiculous. Deciding to just start all over, Lucy yanked out the damaged piece of scrapped parts from above her.

She slid out from underneath a truck and studied the piece in the sunlight that now shone on it. She wiped off some grease and stood up, bringing it over to her work station.

"I'm sweating my balls off here, where the hell is that technician guy?" she heard a voice. Looking up she saw a man, clad in a jumpsuit dirited in grease stains. He was busy tying up his mane of black hair into a ponytail, as he kicked a box of tools out from his path. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his arm, which only resulted in a smudge of grease being swiped across his skin.

Lucy smiled absently at this and said nothing about it. "No idea. Doesn't matter anyways, not like anyone's gonna come out of their homes in this heat."

She busied herself with her car part, trying to find whatever was wrong with the thing, and peered in a part of the rim. "Hey hand me that wrench will ya?"

Holding her hand out, she waited patiently for him. As seconds passed and no wrench was in her hand, she moved her gaze up towards the man slumped in a chair.

"_Hey_," she called out. Nothing. "Gajeel!"

His gaze slipped down to her, uninterested. "Princess?"

Lucy huffed a glower at him. He knew she hated that nickname. That and 'bunny girl', she never understood why he made that a thing. He only said it to piss her off at times, as the jackass did on the usual, and Lucy realized then what he wanted.

With a roll of her eyes, she sighed out. "Boss?"

Jumping up to his feet, he sauntered towards the toolbox for her. She watched with a tick in her eye. He was only newly promoted and he acted as if he owned the entire car repair business. She wasn't even that prissy…anymore.

True, she wasn't exactly a natural mechanic, but with enough elbow grease and hard work, Lucy really did prove herself. She was a typical rich girl when she and Gajeel had met, she hated anything dirty and was a bit of a whiner, but as times and situations had changed in her life, rather drastically, she found this simpler way of life more fulfilling to her than all the expensive luxuries she had before.

She sure didn't expect to be friends with an ex-con either. Yeah, Gajeel wasn't exactly a star student. Lucy didn't quite know all the details, but he had gotten mixed up into some bad business a while back and did some time for it. It sounded pretty dangerous from what she had heard from their distant chats, but she knew better than to pry. She knew he was still a good person underneath all the bad reputations.

Lucy heard a loud and clanging engine come up behind her then, and she grimaced internally at how terrible the vehicle sounded. She didn't even have to turn around to know that car would be a bitch to fix.

Sighing and turning towards the open garage door, she went rigid as her eyes fell upon the car that drove in. She felt turmoil within herself at the first glance to the piece of junk that casually rode in, not that it was an old model or anything, but the fact that there were actual bullet holes scattered across the car's…_everything_. It looked like it just survived a run through World War III.

As if she wasn't stunned before, it was when the driver's door opened that her mouth gaped. A man stepped out, looking around warily the small place, and let his sights fall on her. His hair was pink and wild and attracted her gaze right away. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but they weren't big enough to cover the _massive _purple bruise that took up the entire left side of his face. His bottom lip was busted and drenched in dried blood, as could be easily seen by how many times he wet them in a full minute. The car rattled to a stop after a few moments, and his gaze seemed to pierce right through Lucy.

"Hey, is Gajeel here?" he asked casually.

Lucy rose an eyebrow at the man, but before anything could make it past her lips Gajeel was back in sight, calling out to the mysterious car owner.

Lucy caught her bosses glance as he approached the customer and went back to her car part, as he had mentally asked of her. The two met up and despite deciding to stay out of it, Lucy couldn't help but overhear some of the conversation.

She wouldn't deny she wasn't curious. It wouldn't be a surprise for Gajeel to keep in touch with his questionable friends from back in the day. Being in that type of life would be hard without some type of support, people you could trust with your life. Him going to prison wouldn't just cancel those close bonds.

Although, it wasn't the suspicious friend of her boss that had her intrigued. And no, it wasn't the fact that the car had bullet holes in it, considering most of the questionable people came in asking for a new window thanks to so. It wasn't the bruise or anything else of the sort, what intrigued Lucy so was that this was _fifth _time in _two _weeks her gaze had been magnetically attracted to that pile of pink spikes this certain man adorned. It wasn't exactly a look easily forgotten.

Every time this man came into this shop he was driving a different car, bullet holes in them all, windows busted and tires even slashed sometimes. He did the same thing each time, tried covering some type of wound on his face or body and asked for Gajeel as if he _wasn't _looking suspicious as hell. And every time, Gajeel eased Lucy and anyone else around to let him handle it, and that was it.

The car was handled and fixed, and mystery man was off again in his very _adventurous _life.

Lucy was fascinated by this. Her life was never typically that _otherwordly_, so seeing such an unusual occurrence had her more interested than she liked. She knew she shouldn't be wanting to mix herself in crime and such, knowing first hand how drastically it could tear apart your life, but it didn't make her any less curious. Wary yes, reluctant_ hell yes_, but still curious. Enough to risk getting in some serious trouble for?

Well, if she knew the answer to that then she wouldn't be constantly glancing back to Gajeel's little friend.

Their conversation was intense, as much as it could be when they whispered. Mystery man was explaining himself as it seemed, with the several references back to the mess of a car he had made. Lucy noted a variety of things about him, like how he scratched at his hair often whenever Gajeel admonished him and the exasperation that seemed to pop right out from behind those sunglasses. Gajeel was yelling at him, no doubt, but Lucy could see from here that his eyes held no real anger.

"Natsu seriously, I don't have time for this again. I got other people man." Gajeel's voice had raised and drifted into Lucy's ears.

She wondered then if Natsu was his name, her eyes caught on the pair across the room. Her stomach jumped as she had decided ultimately that it was.

"C'mon man, where else am I supposed to go? You know that jackass is gonna have people all over the city lookin' for me," Natsu sighed out. He followed Gajeel as he strolled closer to his car.

"I didn't say I was kickin' you out dumbass," Gajeel replied, in a soft tone. Lucy smirked as she realized that was Gajeel's 'lovey dovey' tone traced in that insult, as she called it. No matter how many times the man would yell and roar ferociously, he always had a soft spot for people he cared about, and his tone was his way of showing it. Usually accompanied in an insult, but it was still a sweet gesture nonetheless.

"I already told you, I'm busy. I'll have to get someone else to do it." he explained. Natsu didn't seem too pleased by this news, a rather rough scratch of his hair proving the assumption.

"You really think that's a good idea?" he questioned. He pointed down into the car secretively, "I got some questionable shit in here, I don't need any more trouble than I already got."

Gajeel waved him a relaxing hand and tossed a towel over his shoulder, "Don't you trust me?"

Natsu grimaced, "You did try to kill me."

Gajeel replied with a shrug, "Few times. If you weren't such an insufferable bastard all the time you wouldn't have to worry about that."

Natsu scoffed a bitter laugh at that, and Lucy couldn't help but notice his smile. It was a cold laugh, but still one nonetheless, and she at that moment confirmed that she had never seen a smile quite like that. It was boyish and a crooked, crude on his bloodied lips that seemed like they had the devil hiding behind them. It was mischievous in a way that had her stomach twisting up, like it had her on edge.

Like she knew this man wasn't someone known to be predictable.

Maybe it was embodiment of danger and adventure suddenly staring at her or the harsh boom of Gajeel's voice calling out her name, but Lucy jumped.

"Come're." her boss said.

Lucy left her car part with little process done and wiped her hands on her jeans as she made her way over to the pair. She felt discomforted by how the two men were staring at her. She had forgotten how to walk for a second thanks to that and stumbled on a metal crate, leaving the mess soundly as she figured it was best to not keep the criminal pair waiting.

"Look Lucy," Gajeel said, pulling her in close. "I need you to do something for me."

Lucy felt as though she had a pretty good guess as to what matter her boss was referencing to, and glanced over his shoulder to Natsu ambling around behind them. His steps were paranoid and restless, his hands busy digging through his pockets and his gaze switching all around the shop. They finally settled into Lucy's as he lit a cigarette, letting the smoke pour from between his lips as he broke the gaze. He continued to shuffle around and Gajeel's voice brought Lucy's eyes back to his.

"It ain't anything big, I jus' need you to fix this one up good 'nough so it can run. Don't worry about the body or nothin'." he said softly, making sure no one else but them heard. "And…this needs to be off the books."

Lucy held back an audible sigh, and gave her boss a pointed look, one of knowing, "Gajeel…"

"He's a friend Lucy," he insisted gently, "Please."

Lucy wasn't sure if she wanted to become involved in whatever Gajeel seemed to be mixed up with, but with the pleadful look in his eye and the actual _use _of her real name, she felt her defenses weakening.

She sighed. "Whatever."

A smile grew at the corner of Gajeel's lips, but he wasted no time with the pleasantries. Approaching Natsu again, he waved her over. She came up beside him as he stomped on his cigarette.

"Natsu, this is Lucy. She's gonna work on your car." he said. His tone left no room for wiggle room on that statement. This upset Natsu, as evident by the droopy bore of his gaze given to Gajeel halfway through the sentence.

"Gajeel," he began, through his teeth. He paused and waited for Gajeel to give Lucy the dismissal nod to go work on his car. He watched as she passed by with a side glance, before pushing his friend away out of earshot.

"You don't have anyone else? Like…more..?" he muttered, shrugging off whatever was left of his question.

"She's cool Natsu, she ain't gon do anythin'." Gajeel eased.

Natsu heard a clang of his car and whipped back to Lucy looking underneath the hood. He shuffled uncomfortably on his feet and grimaced. "She looks like a snitch."

"She ain't a snitch."

"Well she looks like one," Natsu ruffled his hair.

Gajeel felt his patience thinning with the man and his ignorance, resisting a mighty urge to slap him in the back of the head. He knew Natsu was just on edge, it was obvious the kid had a bad day so far, so he couldn't blame him for being like he was. He remembered those kind of days too, and was just glad he didn't have them anymore.

"Look you trust–"

"Hey!" Natsu shot off.

He trotted up behind Lucy as she cracked open the back door to his car and squeezed himself in between the two, "Woah woah woah hold on here, what do you think you're looking for?"

Lucy stepped back from being suddenly pressed up against him, an eyebrow cocked, "The car manual?"

He held a hand up to her, "Woah now–"

"_Natsu_," Gajeel hissed. He stomped his big feet and pulled him from Lucy's way by the scruff of his collar. He pressed his back to the car and forced him to settle down, "Look, do you trust me?"

Natsu rolled his eyes instantly and ground his teeth, "I don't want–"

"_Do you trust me_?" he cut him off sternly. His giant hand held the man to the car and forced his eyes into his. Natsu both tensed and eased at the direct look of his red eyes.

"Yes." he grit out.

Gajeel nodded towards Lucy. "And I trust her. Which means that you can trust 'er too. I wouldn't a called on her if I didn't."

He finally let Natsu go at that, the man straightening up his t-shirt with a grimace. He sighed out and glanced to Lucy standing by. "Fine."

"Good," Gajeel immediately replied. "Now let the woman do her damn job."

Lucy couldn't help the smirk on her lips as her boss walked off, and saw Natsu hesitantly turn towards her. He still wasn't overjoyed at this arrangement, but refused to say anything else about it.

"Car manual huh?" he questioned.

Lucy nodded. "I don't think it's anything serious, but you have a light on I wanna check."

She began to duck into the back seat and paused, looking to her client for reassurance he was still fine with her looking in. He gave a weak nod of his head and slumped against the hull next to her.

Lucy crawled into the vehicle and looked in the back pouches of the front seats for the booklet. She found nothing but stray papers and oddly enough, children's coloring books. The inside smelt of smoke and cheap air fresheners. She decided to look under the seats then and paused as a certain overturned bag in her way.

She barely had to touch it for several items to fall out into the open, the items Natsu was obviously possessive over anyone finding. They consisted of several stacks of cash wrapped in rubber bands, ripped fabrics covered in dried blood, and a handgun accompanied by a multitude of stray bullets.

Lucy held back an amazed scoff.

"You uh..find it?" she heard behind her.

She fumbled with the stacks of money gently, as if she were afraid of messing any of them up. She could tell that it was easily over five grand.

"Not yet," she said, biting down a smile.

Shaking her head, she threw the money back down on the bag. Her hand scoured all the junk underneath the seat and pulled out the instruction manual, recoiling back on her feet.

Lucy turned to Natsu, leaning against the car as he stared at her a certain way, a way that nearly had her stopping short on her toes. She suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Have any kids?" she asked then. She didn't know why she decided to ask that rather personal and irrelevant question. Perhaps just to fill the air with something other than the discomforting knowing presence surrounding them both.

"Uh no," he answered. "Why?"

Lucy pointed back inside the car, "You had some coloring books in the pockets."

"Oh yeah…" Natsu scratched at his nose, adjusting his sunglasses with a rather nervous finger. "This isn't..exactly my car."

With a quick clear of his throat Natsu hoped to move past this moment with urgency. He looked up to Lucy muffling yet another smile.

"Right," she said. She strolled over to the front of the car. "Well there seems to be a bunch of minor problems with this thing, but the main one that needs to be fixed in order to keep it running would be your…gas tank."

Lucy's eyes scoured over her manual as she read with ease, her feet quick to move along the sides of the car. She stopped at the gasoline tank and let the hand that held her manual drop to her side.

She didn't even to glance at it to know what the problem was.

A steady stream of a brownish liquid spilt from one of the dozen bullet holes pierced in the vehicle's side. A puddle was already formed by her feet, a giant one that she merely saw growing bigger and bigger. She sighed.

"You're lucky this thing didn't blow up on you," she told Natsu, with a short glance.

He simply leaned on the roof of the car, crossing his arms under each other and smiling nervously. "Yeah. I'm a pretty lucky guy, you could say."

Lucy, in all honesty, had no problem believing that about someone like him.

* * *

"Oi Princess! I'm headin' out, keep an eye on the place will ya?"

Lucy gritted her teeth at that, watching as her boss cleaned up and headed out to the back door. She wiped her own hands off and huffed a hair from her eye. "What did we say about nicknames!"

Gajeel merely replied with a lazy wave behind himself as he exited out the door. He often took trips to the neighboring hardware stores for tiny things that were too much of a pain to order in stock. And despite his hardened, brute appearance and assumed hatred for most things, shopping in that giant mega-store for supplies was something he rather enjoyed in his day.

It was still quiet around, Natsu and his assassin car being the only new customers that day, so most of all the other workers decided to go out together for their lunch break. Lucy would have happily joined them, but being stuck with fixing up an 'off the books' car due ASAP really didn't leave her with much choice. So, she was stuck here, alone with a what she assumed, a psycho criminal.

He seemed content with playing with Gajeel's desk chair though, as surprising as that was to Lucy. Yes, the hardened criminal with a busted face and a taste for danger was busy spinning in circles in a swivel chair. It was hard not to stare, but Lucy figured the quicker she finished this car, the quicker he could stop doing that before he fell and broke something.

He had been hopelessly bored hanging around here, trying several methods of amusement while Lucy worked on fixing the giant hole in his gas tank. He swung wrenches around, snooped through Gajeel's things, even broke a thing or two while Lucy's back was turned. Not that she needed to know. It was hot and he felt unbearably restless.

Lucy on the other hand was content with working alone on this. Though having to pop back and forth between grabbing tools and such was a bit of a pain, but she simply told herself she could use the exercise. She was digging through a box of new gas tanks at the moment, before she paused as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and smiled at the stranger.

"Oh hey! You must be that maintenance guy, thank god you're finally here. It's been an actual hell working in here," she laughed softly, approaching the man. She shook his hand as he offered her a quick smile back.

"Yeah, right, sorry about being so late," he said then.

Lucy waved him to follow her and pointed towards a door along the back wall, "Well the AC unit is in there, but there's also some big hunker thing outside, so I'm not quite sure which one you'll want to look at. My boss usually knows but he's out at the moment unfortunately," Lucy explained, with a hand on her hip.

The man nodded slowly then, his eyes scouring the car shop, and dismissed Lucy with a smile. "Right, it's okay. I'm sure I'll figure it out."

Lucy watched as he left to walk towards the door with the AC unit. She admired his shaggy black hair then, he was tall and had broad shoulders, but an unusual scar along his right eye. It looked fresh and cared for, but it still piqued Lucy's curiosity. Not enough to ask him about it though or anything, so she turned then with her gas tank, and strolled back towards her car.

Hearing no weird or obnoxious noises, Lucy switched her gaze around for her client. She stopped on her feet as the swivel chair was left desolate, spinning slowly as though he had vanished right into thin air. Cocking an eyebrow, she continued to head towards the car while whistling a tune.

That tune got caught in her throat though, stuck in her windpipe as a scream tried to shove its way out instead. Lucy felt her waist be snagged as she passed by an open door, her entire figure yanked inside like a ragdoll and mouth covered firmly with a hand.

Her wide eyes connected with a pair of dark green ones, harsh and determined eyes that she realized were Natsu's after a moment. Her heart thudded in her chest, but Natsu made no other attempt to do anything with her other than keep her from shouting. She unsteadily eased at this, feeling his hand slowly slid off her lips.

"That's not the maintenance guy." he whispered darkly. Lucy felt her insides squirm at this, staring at him wondrously, yet fearfully.

"What?" she uttered back, mustering up enough courage to speak.

Natsu peeked his head out of the door and as if on cue, large, harsh footsteps began to come down the hallway. He closed it softly, leaving a small crack open as the stranger passed by. He stared at the man until he completely left his sight.

"You gotta get him out of here," Natsu told her then, urgently.

"_What?_ How do you expect me to do that?" Lucy whispered loudly, earning a harsh shush from him.

Natsu kept her back to the wall, trapping her to keep her from making too much noise and closed in to keep his voice small. The footsteps could still be heard outside.

"He probably saw my car here and came in, you gotta make him think that I ditched. Just make him think I'm somewhere else and he'll leave."

Lucy was having too much trouble comprehending all this, "Wait, who is this guy? Why is he after you?"

"_Lucy_," he squeezed her arms, "If he notices you're gone too he's gonna think something's up, you gotta go! I'm finished if you don't, c'mon please?"

Lucy held her hands up to calm him down and muffled back a strong headache she felt coming on. "Alright, alright! Just…what do I say?"

"Just lie, make something up," Natsu simply said, cracking open the door again. He pushed her out despite her shrill scoff. "It's easy!"

Lucy exited out into the hallway and immediately felt naked. She switched her gaze all around her as the door closed beside her, and froze at the blue pair of eyes that settled on her. The not-maintanence man.

Forcing out a laugh, she waved a shy hand, "Hey! How-how are you?"

"Okay," he started to stroll towards her, agonizingly slow, "But hey I have a quick question?"

Lucy bit down on her cheek as he approached her. She resisted trying to seem too guilty, but lying compulsively was not one of her master skills. "Oh the uh, unit outside? Yeah that thing's a bitch to find, I can show you!"

The stranger laughed at that, but waved his hands, "No no, not that. It's that car out in your shop, I'm afraid it's blocking a vent I need to get to. I don't suppose that client is here? Just so he could move it for a quick second?"

Lucy was utterly baffled at the extent of that lie. If Natsu hadn't of told her any different she would not have suspected him in the least, and frankly that scared her quite a bit. If he could lie that well, what's to say he couldn't see right through hers as well?

"Oh uh…no, I'm sorry," Lucy laughed quickly again, "The guy who dropped that off kind of left? He just wanted it fixed and said he'd come back later…but, if I'm being honest, I think he just ditched it here. Didn't really seem like he was coming back for it…"

The stranger nodded slowly at that, a small, crooked smile slipping onto his lips. He knew, _of course_ he knew, this was terribly bad. He straightened himself up then and seemed to reinvent his entire composure towards Lucy.

"Look, I'm gonna be honest here," he said then, and lifted up his shirt. Lucy's eyes bulged out at the gun stuffed down in his pants. "I'm not your maintenance man. I just need to find your client, and I don't appreciate being lied to about a lowlife like him."

Lucy stumbled back a few steps at that, fear shooting up her spine like a bolt of electricity. Perhaps it was the blind fear covering Lucy's eyes, but the man seemed to charge her then, his voice booming and paralyzing. "_Where is he?_" Her back hit a wall roughly as he came up to her, their eyes unable to break.

"Hey jackass!"

Natsu seemed to come out of nowhere then, his entire body jump tackling the stranger from mid-air. He locked his arms around his shoulders and neck and swung around, sending the stranger wheeling back on his steps. Lucy gaped as the two thrashed around like wild animals, bumping against walls and tables and crashing into tool boxes and car parts laying around. The stranger held onto Natsu's arms, trying to pry them from his neck, but he kept an iron grip on him. He sent Natsu into the wall then with a harsh _slam_, but he kept holding on.

Lucy could tell he was taking a few hits, Natsu wasn't actually that tall of a man, but he sure was strong. She could tell he was losing his grip though, and sucked in a sharp breath.

Without thinking the next second, Lucy found herself darting forward towards the two. Thankfully both their backs were turned, or else she wasn't sure what she would have done once she reached the two. She slid down and kicked her foot into the back of the stranger's knee then, sending them both _crumbling_down into a pile of papers and scrap pieces. A _thunk_was heard as the not maintenance man's head accidently hit the side of the wall, and he went completely still.

Lucy froze at this, her mouth agape. Natsu groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the man, and staggered to his feet. He licked his lips of blood and wiped even more of it off his face, flinching slightly at the slight brush of his bruise.

"You had to tackle him like that?" Lucy breathlessly asked, staring at the man in bewilderment.

Natsu heaved breaths in and out, and pointed a thumb to the garage, "I…left my gun in the car."

Lucy approached the still body like an easily startled deer, her mouth unable to properly close, "Oh my god…is he dead?"

Natsu tilted his head at the man and waved a hand, "Nah…just bumped his head. Out cold."

Lucy whipped back to him with her voice shrill, "_Bumped his head? _What is this, a _movie?_ You can't just suffer a head injury like that and wake up totally fine, they're serious! He could be a vegetable because of this!"

Natsu seemed to consider the possibility, but wasn't that concerned with the idea. Lucy on the other hand was grasping at her strands like she really had killed a man.

"This is terrible! Gajeel's been trying to avoid this crap and I just threw him right in the middle of it! I can't drag him back into this kind of stuff when he's gotten so clean, he has a new life, new job, new everything!"

"Okay take a breath alright? It's gonna be fine, I'll figure it out," Natsu assured her.

"Take a breath," Lucy nearly scoffed, dragging a hand through her hair. She watched as Natsu tugged the man from the pile and dropped him on the shop floor. He was still motionless, a long stream of blood seeping down from his temple to his chin. "Who is this guy anyways?" she finally asked.

"Bounty hunter," Natsu grunted, pushing him onto his back. His body slumped and Natsu flicked up his shirt, taking his gun from his waistband and stuffing it down his own. "Total asshole though. He's after me because he thinks I did a bunch of bad shit around town."

Lucy grimaced as Natsu searched him for any other weapons, in case he woke up when they weren't looking. "Did you?"

Natsu glanced up to her at that, hesitantly, and averted his gaze. "Eh, only some of it."

"Help me with this," he said then, before she could ask anything else. Lucy flicked her eyes down to the foot in his hand, and the other laying on the ground still. She nearly refused, but stuffed it back in her mouth.

She knew better than to refuse help of ridding a body she took part in injuring. Listening to the criminal at this point, despite how much she disliked it, was the best way to go.

So she grabbed a foot, and they pulled. Dragging the man back through the hallway, to the shop, and back out to the garage took more effort and energy than either expected. By the time Lucy had devolved to pushing him instead, something happened to absolutely freeze the two in their places.

"What the _fuck _is going on?"

Neither Lucy nor Natsu really wanted to turn back at that voice, but they did so, in a very guilty, slow unison. Gajeel stood there in the doorway, his hands full of shopping bags and eyes wide open and outraged.

The two glanced to each other then, then to the body, and realized how awful this must have seemed.

"…You're early?" Lucy sang a bit, offering a soft chuckle.

Natsu groaned then and stumbled back up to his feet, "Man I told you we'd get caught if we went this way!"

Lucy glared at him and stood up as well, "You really think I'd risk getting caught just trying to prove you wrong? It's the only way to the closet!"

"Well–"

"The only reason you two dumbasses got caught was because I wanted to catch you," Gajeel hissed out then, dropping all of his junk on the ground. He stomped his way over towards the two and they parted, revealing the unconscious man in their hold. He practically rolled his eyes into the back of his head upon the sight, gritting his teeth to muffle a groan.

"How long ago?" he asked then, pressing a palm to his temple. "I'm not gonna have him stinking up the place."

Lucy creased her eyes at him, "Wha–he's not dead!"

"Just out cold. Maybe half an hour ago."

Gajeel hummed at this, easing up a bit in his place. He bent over to the bount hunter and flipped him around, checking his pulse and the big bump on his head, and other miscellanious things Lucy wondered where he learned to examine such things. Gajeel grimaced.

He sighed out and rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Alright. Listen up, since apparently you two don't know any better to _not _hide a man who will eventually wake up, this is how it's gonna go. He's gonna wake up here and me and Lucy are gonna make up a story about what happened. Now Natsu, did he see you?"

He shook his head, "Nah, jumped on his back. He was after Lucy."

"Good," Gajeel said, "Then what I'll say happened is: I saw Lucy in trouble, so I attacked him because I thought he was a robber. Knocked him out, and by then our client took the car and went on his way."

Lucy listened and nodded to this, impressed at the quick resolve he managed to think up. Much better than either of their plans. She knew she looked up to him for a reason.

"Nice Gajeel, that's good," Natsu grinned then, picking up the bounty hunter and slumping him onto a waiting chair. He sighed and dusted off his hands, turning back towards the two. They stood before him side by side, feeling a bit disappointed at the next thought in his head.

"Well I guess I should get out of here before you call the cops eh?" he suggested then.

"Oh right," Lucy blurted, running back into the shop for a second. She came back with Natsu's new gas tank and let Gajeel quickly switched it out and filled it up.

"All good," he sighed.

Natsu came up and checked it out, before turning his sights back to them both. Lucy slowly strolled up to him with her arms behind her back, amused at the solemness of the smile offered to her, "Thanks for helpin' me and all that today. You kinda saved my ass. Sorry for callin' you a snitch and all that."

Lucy leaned against his car and crossed her arms defiantly, smiling a devious smile, "Don't be too sure about that. I'm sure that bounty hunter is offering quite a check on any news of you."

Leaning his arm on the roof, Natsu made sure to square up to her height. Both noticed the slight height difference they had, one that Natsu was proud to look down to her. "Well that would suck. And here I was thinking on coming back to visit you."

Heat rose to Lucy's cheeks, but she refused to falter in embarrassment. Instead she stared directly into the criminal's eyes, and shrugged. She nodded around to the messy, sun-basked garage. "Well…you know where to find me."

He nodded gently. "I do."

Lucy felt her stomach squirm at those eyes of his. They were such a deep, shining green; she couldn't believe he hid those the majority of the day behind those sunglasses. His skin was still purple and bruised, and even a little bloody now, but everything about him seemed magnetizing. The crook in his smile, how one side lifted up a little higher than the other, and was so pure yet devious at the same time. Like he just had a thirst for trouble. Like he thrived off it.

Lucy hated how her heart skipped at a simple thing like him. Except he wasn't simple. He was just plainly complex and incredibly intriguing, without a single dull moment in the day. And that's what Lucy just loved to thrive off of herself.

Finding herself not thinking, Lucy had drifted to her toes. She parted her lips and placed them on the corner of Natsu's, feeling no better sensation than the rigid tensing of his entire body against her. He hesitated for a moment and turned his head then, but she had already fallen back to her feet. He watched her back off with a mischievous look in her eye. One he matched with a grin.

"I guess this means I'm gonna have to visit more often, huh?" he said.

Lucy merely shrugged and giggled a bit, before Gajeel banged his monster hand on the ratty car, forcing the two's attention away from each others. "Would you two hurry the hell up? Natsu–I want you outta my shop! Go! I called the cops and I ain't savin' yer ass if you get it caught here!"

Natsu crinkled his nose at the man and slid back on his sunglasses. He took a last look at Lucy and nodded a grin to her. "See ya."

Hopping in the driver's seat, Natsu was up and out of the garage in a blink of an eye. Sirens were blaring behind him as an ambulance came to approach the shop, but Lucy could only focus on the long horn blare in the distance.

Gajeel strolled by her side and watched her eyes follow Natsu's car until it was out of sight. He sighed as she seemed a bit disappointed.

"Well Princess. Not quite the prince you were expecting huh?"

Lucy felt the weight of his arm rest on her shoulder, but she smiled despite, leaning her head on it. "No…not quite. But... hey," she shrugged. "I'm not complaining."

* * *

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**Haven't updated for a while so here's two! ❤ Review!**


	51. Not Quick Enough

**So...what _would_ of happened if Lucy wasn't quick enough to stop that kiss, eh?**

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**.**

All I could think about was that kiss.

I didn't know what bothered me more, the fact that it happened, that I actually _let _it happen, or that my mind was falling into such a craze _because _of it. It followed me like a cloud I couldn't get rid of. It just stayed there, hovering above me and shaking little sparkly snowflakes on me to remind me of the overwhelming shakiness I had felt in that split moment. My insides had twisted up into a giant pretzel I couldn't unknot for a good few hours, and apparently was still having trouble with.

It only lasted a second. Maybe not even that long. It wasn't like I was expecting it, who could expect something like that from him? From _Asuka_? Who the hell asks that kind of question?

And who the hell actually tries to kiss someone just because a little girl told them to?

He had turned towards me and the moment flashed by so quickly. Everything was a mess, a blurry mess. He said something about the 'end of the world' and just came at me. It wasn't that he was rushing it or anything, but with my impeccable _on the spot _thinking, I wasn't nearly prepared enough to think of how to dodge it.

Then he did it. He had successfully caught me off guard and pressed his lips right on mine. My muscles were rigid and my I feared that so were my lips. Then again, why was I concerned with how well I kissed him anyways?

I felt his hand grab my shirt in that moment, in that mere second he had against again me. It was deeper than expected, he had ultimately parted my lips with his, and there I go again. Remembering every microscopic detail of that one second before I had shoved him away into a cackling Asuka.

I could still feel it in every shirt I wore, how he had twisted the fabric in his fist to pull us an inch closer, how he tilted his head so evenly right before we met and did it all in one swift motion as if this were something natural for him.

I desperately wondered if he kissed like that every time.

My nails drummed anxiously on Mira's bar counter. I kept my cheek in my palm and forced my gaze from staring at nothing. It seemed like that's all I did nowadays.

Why did I have let this happen? I should've just grabbed Happy or something, make him kiss that damn cat instead of me.

I huffed a hair out from my eyes as I watched the two. Thankfully it was still only us four that knew anything about it, but even then I didn't count on that evil cat to keep his mouth shut forever. He'll probably use it as blackmail one of these days knowing him.

I couldn't imagine how terribly that would blow up in my face. And yet I say that as I proceed to ruin my own life.

Why couldn't I just snap out of it? Why did this have to bury so deep, why couldn't I just shrug and get over it like literally anyone else would?

Even Natsu was on and past it.

I hid a pout behind my hand as I glowered at him across the guild. He was as he always was, yelling and laughing and fighting anyone who dared look at him a second too long. He was completely unfazed by this whole thing and I had no idea why that made me so frustrated.

Did he just not care? Was it just some random act he did regularly with people that I never knew about?

Did he think about as often as I did?  
No. Probably not, because I'm just a sensitive girl who couldn't get over one measly kiss that meant nothing. Wow that's a little pathetic.

I rubbed my eyes and finally diverted my attention from him. I slouched in the bar stool and collapsed on the counter.

It was my first kiss though. Maybe that was just why.

I absently traced my lips as I counted the scratches on the wooden surface.  
It was his too, wasn't it? It's not like I've ever seen him with anyone else, especially one close enough to kiss. Then why was he so…good at it? Like, unnecessarily good.

I brought myself up as I had began to bite my lip, shaking myself awake.  
How would I know what a good kisser felt like? It's not like I had anyone to compare him to.

I slouched again. But still…

"You seem restless," I heard suddenly.

I saw Mira behind the counter then, doing her usual thing of washes mugs and filling up new ones.

"Yeah, just bored," I answered. The last thing I needed was Mira finding out Natsu and I had kissed.

"Well you don't have to hang around here," she said with a helpful smile, "all this beer and smoke in the air is enough to cloud up anyone's mind. Go take a day for yourself."

I felt a smile nudging at my lips. That…actually sounded like a good idea. Just be by myself for a while, no harm in that right? Maybe finally clear my head of this whole mess?

"That's a good idea Mira, thanks." I said, hopping off my seat. "I think I'll go shopping or something, that always cheers me up."

She let out a ringing laugh as she stacked mugs on her tray. "That's good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go make sure every living soul in this place is nice and drunk."

She waved to me and I felt a humorous pang of pity for her. Maybe I'll get her a present. I grabbed my bag, happy at the thought of getting away from this all, and stopped short on my toes a foot away from the door.

"LUCY!"

I held back a mild, totally casual scream.

"Where are ya goin'?" Natsu came up to me quickly. I held the door open and gripped the knob tighter.

"Shopping. Clothes, makeup, you wouldn't like it," I said shortly, and started to leave again.

"I'll come with you! I've been lookin' for a present for Happy lately and I could use your help," he said obliviously, passing right by me to get a move on.

I nearly gaped as he started sauntering down the guild steps. Sure. That's totally considerate. Just come off on a trip with me as I try to forget you, no big deal.

I held back a hiss and slammed the door shut, trudging down the steps myself.

* * *

"I'd rather be shopping for your clothes," I heard beside me.

I kept my nose buried in my book, not even bothering to look up to the idiot, "Feel free to go buy some for me."

Natsu groaned in the tiny bookstore and was immediately shushed by the several attendants. He glowered at them with heavy eyes.

I felt him slouch all over my shoulder and I swatted him away, "Can you quit?"

"But I'm _bored_," he droned. "And there's nothing to do here."

"You have a million books surrounding you." I reminded gently.

"Those don't count," he mumbled, dropping himself against the shelf.

"I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find something you like." I said, "Like a dragon book, or whatever you're into."

"Dragons?" he perked up then, and I couldn't help but look to him.

I forced down a smile at the childish gleam of interest in his wide eyes. I suddenly saw a flash of those green eyes, how different they had seemed so up close. How personally intimate they looked when he had the full intention of kissing me, his emotions open enough that I could tell with a single glance that that was what he wanted.

That he had wanted to kiss me.

I shuffled on my feet as that moment replayed in my head. I buried my nose in my book again.

"Yeah dragons, go find one. Probably in the history section." I told him, with a clear of my throat.

He agreed to that thankfully and left to go search the aisles. I watched him leave quietly and wondered again, with an annoying voice in my head, if maybe he thought about wanting to kiss me again like that.

Finding myself biting my lip again, I sighed out heavily and shut my book. It wasn't even a good book, I just wanted something to look at other than him. I barely got a second to put my book back before I heard something familiar.  
Natsu. Yelling. Well, talking loudly, which was considering yelling in a place like this.

I hurried over to him and saw him all squared up against another man, both their eyes blazing fire and mouths going off in an all out argument.

"It specifically says on the door that these books are old! They're fragile and can't take being handled by idiots like you who destroy everything you touch!" the man yelled, holding up a book with its spine broken as proof. He pointed it Natsu angrily as he practically glared at him with disgust.

"I already told you, I didn't touch the damn thing! Get off my back," he growled out at the bookkeeper. I could see him holding back on the man, "And what's a skinny thing like you gon' do anyways?"

"You keep rampaging through my shop like this and I'll–"

"Hey woah!" I stepped in quickly. I knew if Natsu heard that threat then there'd be no stopping him after that. I came between the two and tried pushing them apart, "Everyone chill out!"

"Hell no! This idiot just destroyed ancient history! I bet he couldn't even read this stuff," he hissed out, holding the remnants of his book is his arms closely.  
"I do know how to read asshole," Natsu countered hotly. I could tell that hit a nerve. "That book ain't ancient history, I knew that dragon right there on that page! He taught me to read!"

"Right," the man laughed hoarsely, "Of course you knew a 500 year old dragon, why _wouldn't _you?"

Natsu's eyes flared with something dangerous and I put myself in front of the bookkeeper, "Hey back off alright? I'm sorry about the book but you don't have to be such an ass about it!"

I pressed my hand to Natsu's heaving chest to hopefully keep this shop from burning to the ground. He tensed under my hand but stopped, his chest pressed up against my side firmly. I glanced back to him at that, my eyes brought to his far more close to me than I had prepared for.

And thanks to several factors, one being my height, two being his height, and three being his lack of understanding for both anger management and personal space, I had merely one place to look in this situation.

The thing I hadn't been able to get out of my head for the past two days.

I felt my gaze grow heavy at the sight of his lips. Was I serious? I was thinking of our kiss at this exact moment? This place was about to burn down and all I could see in my head was the replay of that single, stupid event two days ago. I snapped out of my trance as I felt him heating up next to me.

"I can show you some real ancient magic if that's what you're into," Natsu barked over my shoulder, "Forget whatever's in those books."

"Please," the man huffed, "This book is probably worth more than your dumb magic."

I felt Natsu lock up against me again and swerve around to lunge at the guy. I caught him by his collar and yanked him back with annoyance.

"Natsu chill out!" I hissed. I dragged him back on his feet out the doors and let him fall against the outside wall. "You are not about to fight in my favorite store!"

"How can you even shop here? It's just filled with a bunch of pretentious assholes," he huffed out a puff of smoke, settling the fire in his gut.

"Hey," I said. I offered his heated glare a soft look, "I happen to be one of those pretentious assholes."

I succeeded at getting a laugh from him and smiled a bit myself. He dragged a hand through his hair and looked to me meekly. "I didn't mean to break it. I just wanted ta' look at it. If that jerk didn't yank it out from my hands maybe it would still be in one piece."

Riling himself up again, I saw that fiery gleam in his eye. He pushed himself up like he wanted to blast that guy out of the window but I shoved him down easily with the heel of my boot. He slumped back on the ground with wide eyes and caught my foot.

"You are not about to go back in there and get me banned from _another _of my stores," I hissed. "It's done and over with,_ move on_."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at me challengingly and I mimicked it. He attempted to stand up again but I refused to let him until he said he wouldn't do anything idiotic. He slouched back against the wall with an annoyed look in his eye. He grabbed my boot from his chest then and send me stumbling a foot forward. I swallowed thickly, feeling his fingers on my leg and looked to him wildly.

"You're no fun sometimes," he said simply.

He dragged himself up to his feet then and let me be. I flattened down my skirt with tense hands, biting my lip shut as he passed by me.

"I'm going to look for some new clothes now. It's boring, why don't you go find something for Happy?" I said then, strolling up by his side.

"No way!" he scoffed out. "You're the best at giving presents around here, I need your help."

He slung around an arm around me and I forced back a deep roll of my eyes.  
"You know what though? I think Happy could use another pack, his old green one is gettin' pretty old. Hey can we find that in your clothes store?" he asked.

"Probably," I admitted, lowly.

He grinned at me and squeezed me closer. "Great!"

* * *

"And that's a size…cat?"

I watched with my back against the wall as Natsu nodded to the clerk with eager eyes.

"Right. Well it'll take me a few, so you can sit or come back or whatever," the man told us, before he disappeared behind the shop curtain.

Natsu came back to stroll by my side and leaned against the wall next to me. He looked positively pleased with himself at the thought of this gift. I just stared at him though, not blatantly but not hiding it either, as I realized those annoying questions began to build up inside me.

He seemed content in waiting quietly, but the silence only made me want to fill it. Probably, with questions that I'll regret asking. Why couldn't I just ask him what he thought about the kiss? This was Natsu, I highly doubt I'll get a legitimate answer, probably just a scoff and some dumb saying that I won't expect and yet, should have expected at the same time.

Maybe I was just afraid of the answer. Maybe he really just did it because Asuka wanted it and it meant literally nothing to him. That's how he was acting, anyways.

It bothered me, it really did. How come I was the one clinging onto this kiss when he was the one that kissed me? Why did he seem so eager to do it if he cared nothing about it?

I swear one of these days my head is going to explode trying to understand this insane human being.

Perhaps that was what I most liked about him though. The wild unpredictability, that giddy feeling when he does something that completely has you taken aback.

I often wondered why I couldn't be more like him. Then again, I also wondered why I would want to be like someone who both impressed and infuriated me so much.

Who was so reckless in their behavior that they never saw the consequences or outcomes of any action. Who just did things because they saw no reason not to.

Like kissing your best friend just because–?

I could feel myself leaning forward. My vision was in a haze and all I could truly focus on was my nails biting in my palm before I had realized what I was doing.  
I pressed my lips to his jaw. He was unsuspecting of this, he tensed almost immediately against me and practically froze. I let my lips glide off his skin slowly, and let myself back down on my heels.

It wasn't as bold as a real kiss, but it was good enough for me.  
I bit down on the side of my tongue as I looked to him. I didn't know how he would react that, and honestly neither would I.

Natsu turned to me though, an unexplainable expression on his face that I couldn't distinguish. He seemed to be rather curiously trying to tell what just happened.

I decided to speak up then, I suppose I should while I had his full attention.  
"Why did you want to kiss me before?" I said.

He seemed to have trouble comprehending all of this at once, but eventually snapped out of it. He didn't show much in his face though.

"Asuka wanted us to."

I felt a little pang at that, and averted my eyes to my feet. I clenched my hands, still trying to hold onto any last shred of hope I had left.

"Just because of that?" I asked then, my nails in my palm. "You didn't…want to do it? Just to do it?"

He looked surprised at that suspicion, but shrugged carelessly. "Well sure I wanted to do it, it's just Asuka that wanted it too. I didn't plan on doing it, but then she asked and so I figured…why not?"

"_Why not?_" I repeated back, atrociously. "You made a decision to kiss your 5 year best friend for the first time under the reasoning of _'why not'_?"

Natsu seemed amused at my tone of voice, "I think you're overthinking this Lucy. It's how I come to most of my decisions, actually."

I let my back fall against the wall, "_Gee_, how nice. I feel special."

I couldn't resist staring at the childish smirk that came upon his lips. "C'mon Lucy, you know you're special to me."

I swatted away his hand that had attempted to poke my in my side, huffing away the flattery bubbling in my stomach. "This isn't a _joke_, I mean how can that kiss really mean nothing to you? When two people kiss for the first time it's supposed to be eye opening and special–especially for best friends! In that type of…zone!"

I gawked at the assured scoff that spurt from his lips, "Oh jesus Lucy." He pushed himself off that wall now and turned straight to me, grabbing my shoulders and lowering his height to mine as he said: "Look, I kissed you that day because I wanted to. I didn't plan to do it, I didn't even think about doing it until _Asuka _brought it up. I didn't mind it, I figured why not kiss Lucy. I like her, she's my best friend, why would I _not _want to?"

"I know it's not what you expected with all your fairy tale dreams and stuff–you've told me a million times how you wanted that first kiss: hot prince, mannerly guy who would kiss you slowly or whatever. But you know what? I didn't kiss you like that at all, and that's what you're all caught up about." he explained. His gaze was burning holes right through me. He stepped in closer, and my heart skipped.

"I kissed you hard, and deep, and you hate that you liked it." he uttered devilishly. "But you wasting your whole life waiting for some guy to sweep you off your feet like that is dumb. Kissing slowly and being vague about all this kind of shit, is dumb. Life is short, Lucy. So if I saw an opportunity to kiss you, why pass it up?"

The amount of cockiness spilling from his lips was enough to freeze me in my place. I just couldn't comprehend the nerve of this man to be so…_infuriatingly _honest.

"So, what?" I swallowed, after regaining my voice, "You're not into the being with one person thing?"

"Did I say that?" he countered quickly, keeping me on my toes.

I looked up into his eyes, desperately trying to keep my head above water, "You said life is short. You'll kiss anyone if you're offered an opportunity."

His gaze eased at me into a more gentler look, but with Natsu that look still had me stuck in my place. His eyes were always so direct and unnaturally open to the storm that brewed behind them. I saw a touch of affection displayed for me.

"I didn't say I'd kiss anyone. I said I'd kiss you." he said. His tone was as plain as ever.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek softly, looking to him through my eyelashes. I still felt my stomach twisting for him, remembering how soft his lips were as all those words slipped off them with such intensity. How he was right about..everything.

He had kissed me hard, and deep, and it bothered me to no end that I liked it so much. He saw straight through me. As he always did, so insufferably well. I found my energy to keep this whole thing up drain me. I was tired of questioning everything, Natsu never did. He just did whatever he wanted, simply because '_why not?_'. He kissed me because he saw a chance and took it.

God, he _took _it. I felt his gaze on me, but I shuffled in place, keeping my own to the floor. Mustering up enough courage was definitely something easier for him to do.

"So what would you do," I began, gently, "If I offered another opportunity?"

Flicking my eyes up to his, I saw an unusual sense of surprise flicker in his green irises. They settled then, in amusement. A quiet type.

"Well I don't think I could pass that one up either," he answered. I couldn't help the smirk crawling to my lips. "But it's not gonna be like how you thought of."

I found myself shrugging, lackadaisically. "Life's short right? So…kiss me hard."

Laughter nearly erupted from him at that statement, and despite the obvious embarrassing blush that was evident on me, I laughed too. He felt his eyes travel the room, dart all around himself, before finally settling back to mine. He tilted his head, with a happy, yet devious gleam.

Not another word was spoken after that, because he leaned in then, pushing my lips apart with his and pressing down in the most devouring way I had ever felt before. His hands found the back of my neck and my hair, my back suddenly against a window where I felt the intense sunlight sear my skin through the glass. I paid no mind though.

I was too busy trying to focus on keeping myself from into turning a warm puddle, right there on the floor. He tilted my head with his hand, directed our lips so seemingly perfect, you would think that this was some learned skill that he mastered. Perhaps it because he was the only person I had ever kissed before, but god I couldn't imagine anyone else topping this.

His teeth dragged against my bottom lip, bit down, sucked it, and kissed it all in a matter of seconds. It had me dizzy, quavering to my very bone. I could only grasp at the shirt on his chest, fisting it and twisting it in my hold like I had no control of myself. I just wanted him closer.

Between a kiss I could hear him smile. I didn't know how that was possible, but he tilted his head and captured my lips with a goofy, sweet grin plastered right on them. A giggle escaped my own lips before I could catch it, but he swallowed it with as much heat as I could feel burning my back. I let out a pleased moan at that.

"So considering this bag is for a cat, I couldn't size it…oh."

We tore apart at that, Natsu switching his gaze right behind him to the store owner, frozen in place with Happy's gift in his hand. I pressed a finger to my lips and muffled down a laugh at the lipstick marks covering Natsu's face now, all over his jaw and lips and pretty much any exposed skin surrounding.

"Do you uh…want me to send it to you later?" he asked then, uncomfortably.

Natsu eased and turned his gaze right back to me, trapped against the window between his arms, and waiting patiently. He spoke to me with his eyes then, how deeply and thoroughly they thrived in mine, and I couldn't help but bite on my lip to keep down my smile.

"Why not," he simply answered to the clerk. His legendary grin spread across his face then, crooked and lopsided, but one that I found addicting to stare at. Addicting to kiss.

And so, I did.

Slowly, but hard.

* * *

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* * *

**review **❤


	52. Freaks and Creeps (7)

**Includes: Gajeel&amp;Levy**

**Levy POV**

* * *

Freaks and Creeps

Part 7

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"_Wow_ Levy!"

I panted out a laugh. A bead of sweat slipped down my cheek as dozens of smiles were shone, distant claps and squealy shrieks echoing around the small crowd surrounding me. The cold wind helped cool down my skin; it felt like it was on fire, but I was too happy at the moment to even notice. My spell worked! Perfectly, not even a single slip up!

"That was impressive," I heard from behind me, grasping my attention.

I turned and saw my coven leader, Minerva, offering a mild smile. She was the Supreme, which was a fancy name for the most experienced of our group. She was the strongest, the one with the most knowledge about almost anything, and the one nearly every girl here looked up to. Including me.

The rest of the coven cheered as we both looked up to Fiore University's oldest tree, a bright and shiny sigil ingrained into the bark that shone a beautiful white. It was pitch black outside on campus, but this brightened up the park in a way that couldn't be explained. It was a surreal experience that I don't think anyone could describe, even a wordy girl such as myself.

All that I could say was that it was beautiful.

It was a simple spell really–all I did was connect our souls to the soul of the tree. It's lived here since before the school was even built, and was said to have its roots stretched miles and miles across the land. It was a giant redwood, the mere base of the tree big enough to house a family of wolves if it truly wanted too. It was on a pedestal now, away from where snotty kids could graffiti it or do any other harms. A living relic it was, and now that I've successfully merged our souls as one, the surrounding wildlife and greenery should be much more plentiful.

That meant more lush gardens and trees, as well as more cute little animals coming to live with us. It was simple, nothing extravagant, but I felt proud of it. I really did. And with more beautiful surrounds, came more beautiful feelings that these stressed out students desperately needed.

Twirling my charmed light pen, I saw Minerva walk up to me. My heart skipped at the impressed look in her eye, I found it hard to breathe! She was just so hard to impress, I couldn't help but feel giddy at catching her eye like this.

"For a green spell, I'm surprised you did so well," she had said to me, over the loud chatter of the other witches.

I nodded eagerly, "Yeah! Me too, actually! I usually just stick to my Literary magic, but trying different types was really nice to experience. Thanks again for letting me try this, Minerva!"

She replied in a gentle nod, our attention brought to the fading light of my sigil. The crossed white lines slowly began to dissipate on the bark, sinking into the wood and leaving us to the darkness of the night. Some girls merely turned on their cellphone lights, while others snapped sparks of fire from their fingers and laughed as their friends screamed from it.

"How would you like to help lead next week's trip, Levy? I could use an extra hand," Minerva asked me then. She cracked a smile as my eyes bulged.

"Seriously? You want me to lead?" I blurted at her.

"Sure. You'll have to help with gathering the ingredients though, is that something you can handle?" she inquired, warily.

"Of course!" I gushed. I tripped over some words after I said that, my brain finally catching up to my mouth in a screeching halt. "Wait, we're doing charm lessons, right?"

"Yes?"

I let my lips part to an 'o'. Oh…no. My mind scurried as I scoured over all the items I knew could be used as charms. And one of them…was not so easy to obtain let's just say.

"Wouldn't that include…bone? Like, ancient dragon bone?" I asked of her, timidly.

"Yes…" she looked to me funnily. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Is that going to be a problem?"

I held up my hands, "No! Aha, no no, it'll be fine. I totally know where to get one of those, no biggie!"

Nodding her head at me, Minerva smiled. Her usual, stiff and stern smile. "Perfect. Then I'll be looking forward to our mission next week."

With that and a spin of her heel, I watched as she disappeared into the thinning crowd of our coven. All the girls were slowly making their way back towards the dorms, but I just couldn't even bear to move my feet.

What the _hell _was I going to do? Where the hell does anyone actually _get _dragon bone? They've been extinct for eons! Surely all trace of them have been erased off the planet by now! Unless I go _excavating _in the desert of Alvarez or _rob _the High Museum, there is no goddamn way I'm getting my hands on a dragon bone.

_Shit_.

I can't let Minerva down though…I've finally gotten on her radar with all the hard work I do and now I have to go mess it all up? No…no way. There's got to be a way I can do this!

* * *

**(Two days later)**

_"There's got to be a way!"_

I sobbed into my dorm floor loudly. The carpet fibers were scratchy and dusty against my face, but I somehow convinced myself that I deserved the terrible feeling. I wasn't a single step closer to finding any dragon bone and I had already collected all of the other materials needed for the charms lesson. This was the only thing left! This was all I needed to finish it but it was so hard! I've checked everything, the online auctions, my favorite witch sites, _the freaking security levels to the High Museum_, everything. All of it _way _out of a single college student's price range, might I add.

I was at an utter loss.

Dragging myself to my feet, I plopped down into my desk chair. I felt restless, useless, hopeless. Like a failure. I didn't know what to do with myself. I pouted at all my little potted plants that sat on my windowsill, checking on their leaves and soil gloomily. They usually cheered me right up but I was feeling too down. One of the leaves curled around my finger, but I merely sighed. Sunlight poured through the window behind my desk, soaking my skin in warmth and I felt something tug my attention. I looked up and out of the window, my sights halting on the only other thing I could see from this crappy view.

Him. Ugh. My asshole of a neighbor who had so _kindly _told me to be quiet at nights. I hate him. I sat with my cheek in my palm as he was rummaging all through his room, appearing and disappearing from my view as he seemed to be working on some project. I watched with mild disgust as he chewed a metal nail in his room. Swallowing it whole.

I felt my body freeze. Wait. Swallowing metal? _That was…_ My eyes nearly popped out of my head. I felt a sudden rush of thoughts in my head, my heart jumping as I realized I might have just discovered the answer to all my problems.

It was a theory. Just a theory, but a theory that could _seriously _save my ass. I mean, what other creatures could consume metal that way, and _willingly _nonetheless? I hopped up and out of my chair towards one of my massive book piles, brushing my fingers along the spines as I speedily read each of the titles. I skipped from pile to pile, from stack to stack, before I finally stopped.

**This History of Lost Magic: Volume 3: Dragons.**

Shoving the other books off of it, I flipped open the cover with giddy fingers. I knew that guy had to have weird magic, I mean he had freakin' _metal scales_ on his skin, that wasn't like any magic I had ever seen before. At least, in real life.

Now in books though…that's where I recognized it. I skimmed through the pages of the book, passages and passages about dragons and their powers and skipped straight to their extinction. Then to the only living creatures that still derive from their roots.

The hybrids.

My eyes read swiftly along the page of the half human/half dragon kind that only some know today. They were on the brink of extinction too, as it seemed. Only a select few are still in the current generation. It is known that they are dying off quicker and quicker with each passing child and grandchild.

I guess with no dragons anymore, it's hard to keep the DNA traits from dying out.

I skipped over all of that though and moved straight to their composition. Their anatomy. My heart quickened against my chest as I read that the hybrids shared common anatomical traits from their dragon ancestors, such as the obvious ones like scales and magic. Even their senses were passed down, both smell and hearing were massively enhanced.

Wait, hearing? _God_…that makes so much sense! No wonder he can hear me at nights from a building away, that idiot had amplified hearing! I personally make sure to cover my entire room with soundproof runes so that I didn't keep anyone up with my noises, it's just when I keep my window cracked that the sounds travel to him. Yeesh, and here I thought I was losing my touch.

Shaking my head, I forced my brain back on track. I continued to read and scoured down the page to the one word I was looking for.

_Bone_.

Yep. The hybrids share many things from their dragon ancestors, including their very strong and unique _skeletal systems_. Each of them is personally customized to adapt to their magic, which deviates depending on the type of dragon the human is merged with. Like…metal.

The metal dragon hybrid. That was who he was. That was _what _he was. And he had dragon bone. Like,_actual _dragon bone!

I gawked as I whipped my gaze back to him. Of course the world's biggest asshole would be the _one _person who has the _one _thing I need! Just perfect.

I stood up though, my back straight, chin high, and eyes fierce. I didn't care who he was, or how scary he looked. I needed this bone, and I was gonna get it. No matter what. I'm not about to let some loud jackass get in my way of becoming the Supreme of the coven. No way in hell.

I cracked my neck, glaring at the man through the window of my room. _I'm coming for you asshole._

* * *

"Hey~ neighbor!_ How are you?_"

Beady red eyes stared at me like they were searching for my soul. I swallowed as I stood outside Mister Jackasses dorm, my face hot and muscles tight, trying to keep this awful smile from falling from my face. It was strained and way too big I presumed, but I wasn't about to give up on selling this.

"Whaddya doin' here Shrimp?" he grunted at me.

My smile cracked for a moment at that _stupid _name but I forced it back to perfection. I could see him forcing back a smirk as he glanced down to the mess in my arms.

"I've come to make peace, actually!" I told him happily, "I've even come bearing gifts too! Can I come in?"

His eyes studied me, glancing up and down my frame and narrowing as if he could smell the bullshit airing off of me. I worried for a moment he would slam the door in my face, but was surprisingly relieved that he widened it instead. I made my way through hastily, taking a long and hard look around his room.

Step one: infiltration–_complete_.

Believe me, I knew that extracting actual _bone_ from my neighbor was not going to be an easy task. Considering that I also did _not _want to steal one of his limbs, I decided that the easiest access to getting what I wanted was through his mouth. His teeth, to be more exact.

Dragon teeth are something of their own. After reading what I could from that book, I took the liberty to research more about the special properties they owned and what I found was truly astonishing.

Not only are they able to adapt to their magic, but dragons and hybrids alike actually never stop growing tooth replacements. It's the same way that snakes shed their skin, every once in awhile dragons lose their teeth and immediately grow in new ones, stronger ones. This process was a little more relevant with the dragons that lived for hundreds of years, but every now and again the hybrids get new pearly whites. Probably in their molting season as well, or at least near the time.

Fact is though, this guy must have lost numerous teeth sets in his lifetime, and if there was one thing to know about dragons and their hybrids, it's that they liked to hoard shit.

And boy did was I right.

"Wow um…nice place?"

I watched as his giant body stepped over mountains of metal scraps and clothes and just useless knick knacks. I couldn't even make out what color his carpet was. He simply shrugged right by me as he went back over to his desk, where some mechanical/engineering piece was splayed out. Something he was working on, I presumed.

"I know. Real homey. What kinda gifts you get?" he was quick to the point, nodding towards my arms.

"Oh."

I handed over my presents and put them on his bed to check out. It was a nice little potted cactus with a bow tied around it.

He looked at the cactus with a wary glance, something rummaging through his head before his attention diverted to the card attached to it. He picked it up and began to read the long sappy passage I wrote on there about how sorry I was for keeping him up and blah blah blah. I knew it would distract him.

Step two–_check_.

Step three you might ask? Well that's the difficult part. While I expected something of a mess when I came here, I really wasn't expecting this monstrosity. I'm gonna need a bigger distraction if I plan to snoop around his room without him noticing.

I just know he kept his teeth here. At least some of them? Dragons and their hybrids were said to be quite emotionally attached to things that stayed close to them, inanimate or not. So, if he just so happened to want to keep his dragon fangs laying around, that would be really great for me!

"A plant?" I heard him comment, not sounding all too thrilled about it.

I slowly snuck over to his dresser as he was busy poking fingers at the pot and searched hastily for a jar or a bag or anything. It was nothing but junk though, of course. What a slob. I moved my gaze to the shelves behind his desk and tried my best 'chirpy' voice

"Yup! I figured adding some green to your room would do some good. And it's a cactus you know, so you don't even really have to water it. Just give it some sunlight and you're good to go. You like plants right?" I questioned, spinning back to him as he looked to me.

"I guess?"

I stifled a smirk at the clueless look on his face. Holding my hands behind my back, I sauntered over.

"Anyways, look, I know you and I have had our…differences," I began, ignoring the harsh snort given in reply, "But I want to put all that past us and just forget about it, what do you say?"

My eyes scanned the nightstand table next to him and flicked back to his bored expression. His arms were crossed, back straight and eyes dull. My feet shuffled uncomfortably as I realized how much bigger he was in person. I really did feel like a shrimp compared to him. His clothes were dirty, ripped jeans and a stained t-shirt. Hair a wild mess as always. I counted a lot more piercings now than I ever did across the building.

"You're real shorter in person, aren't ya?"

Our eyes connected in a menacing tension, but I shoved back every insult I wanted to throw at him. I needed him, I needed him to trust me.

"Listen, you giant–"

"Gajeel."

I stopped short on my tongue at that, flicking my eyes to his. I hated how he just bore his eyes into everything, didn't he know how intimate that usually made things? It was like an invasion of privacy from three feet away.

"Gajeel," I tested out, earning an approving nod. I cleared my throat and composed myself, bringing back that perfect smile, "I'm Levy! Nice to officially meet you."

I expected something of a smile in return but my feet simply stumbled as he brushed past me, his voice as deep and gruff as always. "Sure it is."

I stepped out of his way as his eye caught something in one of his metal piles. He yanked out a metal necklace chain it seemed, a locket attached flimsily to the end and dropped it down his throat like he was trying a catch a falling popcorn.

I grimaced as he chewed the chain, the locket inching closer and closer to his lips as he went back to continue on whatever he was doing before I got here. The locket finally disappeared behind his lips at one point and then came a sickening _crunch_.

"_Ow!_ Goddamn it," he hissed.

I mirrored his sudden flinch as his jaw cracked open, his hands gently plucking out the locket from between his teeth. He held up it up to the light, the metal scattered with teeth marks now and a single hole right in the middle of it. His fingers went to kneading his jaw with a pained hiss.

"What's wrong?" I blurted then.

His eyes flicked to me and diverted to the locket again, giving me a disappointed shake of his head. "Nothin'."

I watched as he poked at his teeth and low and behold, there it was. My golden ticket. A single tooth quivered as his thumb brushed against it, a fang more like, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. This just had to be a sign.

He was preparing to lose another tooth! How _great _was that!

A whirl of thoughts rushed through my head at this new discovery and I had trouble hiding those thoughts from my face. I just wanted to make the biggest goddamn smile.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the cactus and all, I guess I'll leave you to whatever?" I chirped, bringing his eyes back to me.

"Okay," he shrugged. He didn't even really turn around to see me off, but it wouldn't of mattered because I was already long gone.

Yes, this mission was going to be a lot easier than I expected.

* * *

If I knew how heavy metal actually was to carry, I would've gotten one of my best friends to do this. Let me tell you, if I knew lugging 50 pounds of premium steel across campus was going to be this much of a workout, I probably would've started with a different plan.

I had to do this test run though, I went all the way to a damn junkyard for this shit and I was going to get that tooth. After a full hour of shoving half my weight to Gajeel's dorm, I finally got the damn thing in front of his door.

Three scraps of sheet metal. The toughest, thickest, hardest kind I could find in that mess of garbage, all wrapped together neatly in a little bow. I took a break outside his door, trying to catch my breath before I passed out and stuck on the little note.

It was anonymous, saying that it was a present from one of his buddies around campus. If he had any friends. Not that I ever saw him with anyone before, but whatever.

My bones cracked as I pushed myself back up to my feet, trying to stay as quiet as I could before I knocked on the door and bolted away. I ran and swerved around the corner, peeking out from behind the wall as I awaited for him to find it.

If anything was going to knock that tooth out, it was this. They acted as normal baby teeth, anything hard enough with eventually make it fall out and then a new one grows in. This would just give it the little push it needed.

My heart jumped as Gajeel's door opened. Oh please don't be his roommate or something. Does he even have one? There were two beds in his room, but all of his crap was everywhere. I mean, I know I got around the roommate requirement but it was no walk in the park to get. Okay, confusing, but nothing I need to care about right now.

I watched silently as Gajeel read the little card on the metal stacks. My stomach squirmed as he cocked an eyebrow at the letter; he didn't look very amused by it. Come on man, take the bait, take the bait.

He stared at the bow on top of the sheet metal and sighed, before picking it up and carrying it inside. Yes! He took it! The door slammed shut after that and I hightailed my ass back to my dorm, bursting through the door and to my window.

I saw the little bow sticking up from the corner of his window; he had it on his bed. I rolled my eyes as he took five thousand years ripping off the wrapping and waited anxiously for him to bite it. One bite, and hopefully that would do it.

He sniffed it, scratched it, banged it, licked it, but did not _bite _it. Oh come on you giant beast, _eat it!_

I waited in an anxious puddle as he finally cracked his jaw open, nibbling on a corner before he just decided to crack off an entire piece. He flinched suddenly at that movement, _something _hurt inside his mouth that he felt the need to knead again. I watched with the biggest, most devious grin as he fumbled with his loose tooth.

Was it out? Did it drop out?

Licking his lips, he dropped the piece of metal back onto the bed. I saw him slunk away from his bed and disappear from my view. No, no, come on man–take another bite! Just one more!

I groaned loudly. Shit. This guy was going to make this _so _much harder than it needed to be, wasn't he? Of course. That jackass.

But, that was only plan A. I wasn't giving up, not yet.

* * *

It was Thursday. I still had half a week left to get this fang from Gajeel. I sat in my room, patiently, quietly, as I waited for Gajeel to finally turn out the lights to his room. It was 11:30 at night, he had to go to sleep soon and if I were to stay silent, as per his wishes, then hopefully he would fall asleep soon too. I had everything set up around me, candles, my books, the chant I needed to say memorized.

I was ready. I had never done anything like this before, but granted I was always open to try anything.

Was astral projection something I should dive head first into? Probably not, but I had an iron will as people said. Who cares if I mess this up and can never return to my body again? I totally have this handled.

The flicker of light across from my dorm had me at a loss for breath. I saw the big sulky shadow of Gajeel trudging around in his room. He slumped in his bed and out of my line of sight, and that's when the race was on. Hopefully with however long this spell needed to be casted, Gajeel would be in deep sleep by the time I was finished. And if popular mythology was right, then dragons were very deep sleepers.

Yeesh, I was literally about to go poke a sleeping dragon. How the hell did I get into this mess?

Shaking off my thoughts, I laid myself in the circle of candles I had in the center of my room. I found feel my heart pounding as I sat there. I stuttered and stumbled over the words of my chant a few times, but as I felt my skin heating up, the hairs on my arms standing, I felt my tongue flow right into the rhythm of what I needed to say.

"_Surgere!_"

I coughed out a deep gasp. My skin dropped from molten lava to a frostbitten chill, a breathy air in my chest and lungs that I found extremely difficult to adapt to. I felt as light as a feather. As cold as the arctic. As dizzy as that one time I had one too many drinks at that frat party.

"Holy shit," I gasped.

I was floating. Like, in mid air. My arms waved around in a silly attempt to catch my balance, my body slowly hovering over until I was staring at myself on the floor. My muscles were clenched, limbs locked in a quite discomforting position, and mouth parted like I had just spat my soul out from inside me.

Yikes.

Okay, okay. Focus Levy. We gotta get this done before something stupid messes everything up.

I squirmed in my form, floating over back and forth like a balloon swept away in the wind. How the hell do I move like this? I flapped my arms, kicked my legs, nothing. I was just stuck hovering here. Crap, I should've looked this up.

With a few more pathetic attempts, I found my patience thinning. I huffed out a breath of frustration, clenching my fists as I tried to swim away. _Can I just go!_

"Woah!"

My arms thrashed wildly as I was knocked out of my room. I phased right through the wall of the building and was suddenly flying right above three stories with nothing but concrete to break my fall. Wait, my body was inside. I'm totally fine, whew okay.

But hey, that's how I move! I just…want it! Okay, forward!

I flew across the courtyard and phased through Gajeel's window, slowing down enough to where I could plant my ghost feet on the floor. I looked around in awe. Nice.

Okay, now to find where he's hiding those teeth. I just know they're in here somewhere. I searched quickly and quietly in his room, tiptoeing over everything in case I somehow made any noise.

Thankfully, he was asleep. I expected a big monster like him to be snoring like a bear, but he was actually pretty content when he was knocked out. He was clutching his pillow like it was a lifeline, a harsh furrow in his eyebrows that was a tad concerning. He shifted a bit as I stared at him, freezing up as I heard a soft mew come from beside him.

A cat? That sneaky little bastard, how come he get's a cat?

I rolled my eyes and went back to peeking through his things. I checked under his bed, in his closet, in his boxer drawer for crying out loud, and there was nothing. This was really getting underneath my skin now. I needed that damn tooth.

I scratched at my blue curls and glanced over my shoulder to Gajeel still sleeping. Some not so smart thoughts rummaged through my head. I shouldn't do anything stupid, but…what can I say? I'm desperate.

I snuck back over to Gajeel's bed with quiet feet. Peering at his face, I hesitated at raising my hand. I chewed on my lip at this very bad idea, but I just couldn't stop myself. My finger gently traced his bottom lip, parting his lips open until his mouth sort of fell open. I swallowed, flicking my eyes between his and his lips.

Please don't wake up and kill me, please don't wake up and kill me.

I saw it then. My golden ticket. Just sitting there like a diamond waiting to be mined. Maybe if I could just…push it? It would fall out? I wasn't about to _extract _his damn tooth, I wasn't _that _insane okay?

Just dedicated. It was for a good cause.

I grimaced as I slowly lowered my finger into between his set of razor sharp fangs; this was such a bad idea. But, I was already in too deep, there was no turning back now. A soft meow had me jerking in my spot, my eyes connecting with the dark ones of the cat right next to me. It was looking straight at me, oh shit. My hand is still in Gajeel's mouth, oh shit.

One second passed and a multitude of things blew up straight in my face. That cat leap at me, it's claw retracted and death in it's eyes as it flew right through my body and into a pile of metal. I shrieked as well as the tiny demon, clashing, crashing, me falling right onto Gajeel and his bed.

Needless to say, he woke up. His eyes swirled as he startled awake, freezing right onto me with my hand still practically in his mouth and cat crying on the floor next to me. I stared at him wildly before a gasp got caught in my throat.

I coughed. Gajeel's blood red eyes were now my pasty ceiling, hot blood rushing through my veins and heart just about to explode from my chest. I sat up in my dorm room and whipped all around me, before settling back in my circle of candles.

"God _damn _it!" I yelled.

Nothing! I still have nothing!

I saw a light flicker on across the courtyard and cursed again. Great, now he's going to think he's going crazy. Or that I did something to him. I prefer the first one, if I'm being perfectly honest.

I jumped up and quickly sat in my desk chair, flipping open a random book and reading it quietly. I watched as Gajeel marched his way over to his window, staring at me in my room like a deer caught in headlights. His hand held his jaw, but I merely glanced up to him, forcing the most relaxed, casual expression I could manage at that moment.

I gave him a weird look at the bewilderment on his face. Swiveling away from the window, I closed my book and went back over to my bed. I sighed. Well, that plan was a bust too. I still have no tooth, but managed to traumatize my neighbor from ever sleeping normally again.

Lovely.

* * *

This was it. Throughout an entire week, I have tried every single attempt of getting that damn tooth from this idiot, and I still have nothing to show for it. The charms lesson was tonight and I have tried more plans than I can even count. This was it, if this didn't work, then I'm just done for. I'm back to square one, a tiny little nobody witch who can't do anything right.

I was not about to let that happen. I didn't care what it took from Gajeel, if I had to put him under and steal that damn tooth myself, he was going to give it to me. Whether he liked it or not.

"You want me to do what?"

"You heard me," I pressed.

A stranger stood before me, his eyes staring deep into mine like I was insane. I crossed my arms defiantly at his look, nodding back over his shoulder.

"Look I have 20…22…25 dollars here, and I am fully willing to give you all of it if you go over to that man, and punch him square in the jaw." I said, holding up the cash.

This scrawny, skinny little thing of a boy simply gawked at me. He flicked his eyes over to the other end of the quad, where Gajeel was standing in pure daylight. His jaw nearly dropped at the sight of him.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me lady? That guy will _kill _me if I touch him." he said.

I sighed out of my nose. Licking my lips, I softened my gaze. "What's your name?"

The kid looked to me with a wary glance. "Toby."

"Toby," I chided, "Look, I know that guy over there okay? We're practically best friends, and this is just a prank I'm trying to play on him. I promise you, I won't let him lay a finger on you. You just get a good hit in and dash, alright?"

Toby looked to me in a sad reluctance. Then to my money. Something tugged at my lips as he sighed out a defeated breath.

"…Alright. But I want an extra ten bucks. I'm pretty sure that guy has killed someone before and I'm not risking my life for twenty-five bucks."

And like thirty-five would be any better? Whatever, just do what he says Levy. I pulled out another ten in cash and added it to the pot. He took it with a slow shake of his head.

"Can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.

I couldn't help the smile on my face. "Make sure you get the left side, right in the cheek okay? It has to be there!"

"Alright, alright," he waved me off. Sucking in a breath, I watched as he took off on his feet across the quad. My heart jumped about as quickly as he ran.

"HEY!"

Gajeel whipped around to Toby flying straight at him. He didn't even get a second to blink before that flimsy little fist smashed straight into his cheek. Both of them toppled on top of each other, but Gajeel seemed to take the brute of it all.

By falling onto the bench right beside him. His jaw smacked against the wood before he collapsed to the ground, a sharp grunt spilling from his lips that silenced the entire quad. Toby tumbled a few times with a loud groan, before seeing the outcome of his action and hightailing his ass out of there. He stumbled away as Gajeel rolled around on the ground, his hands pressed harshly to his lips.

I didn't even realize I was running over until I had to push people out of my way. "Move! Everyone move!"

I came up to his side and slid to my knees as he sat up, a small puddle of blood on the concrete where his mouth was lying. A gooey line of blood was still making that puddle expand, but right as I sat down, he spit out a chunk of it.

And in it, made my heart stop. The fang. The tooth. It finally, _finally _came out!

"What the _fuck–_"

"YES!"

I picked the tooth out from the puddle and stared at it. I just couldn't believe it, I _actually _got the tooth! I could do the charms lesson now! I could impress Minerva _again!_

I was jumping on my feet before I could even register it. I cackled loudly as Gajeel just looked up to me, at a complete loss for words.

"Did you just–you–"

"I got it! I got it! I finally got it!" I cheered.

"That's my tooth?" Gajeel sputtered. His eyes bulged out as he felt the raw gum where it used to be. He looked back to me in bewilderment. "You got my tooth?"

"Yep!" I laughed.

"You…"

Something came over Gajeel in that instant, something dawned on him in that moment that just had him paralyzed in his skin. He stared at his puddle of blood, then the tooth in my hand, and then to me.

"It was you? All this time, that was you?" he breathed out.

I cocked an eyebrow at him as I rubbed the fang clean, polishing it on my shirt. I held a smirk on my face.

"My life has been a literal _hell _for the past week, weird crazy shit happening–seeing you in my room at night and–and…" he was at another loss for words. He trained his eyes back up to mine with awe. "You've been doing this! All those freak accidents were because of _you? _Because you wanted my damn _tooth?"_

I shrugged a bit at him, "I didn't want to hurt you. If you would've just eaten that metal I sent and let it fall out naturally, we wouldn't of had to go through all this."

"Meta–"

He was flabbergasted. Then he was angry. "I have not been able to sleep, work, eat, or _anything _because of all that shit happening. I didn't know if there was going to be that stupid sheet metal in my sandwich again or _anything! _This was the worst fucking week of my life!"

I offered him a scrunch of my nose. "Sorry."

He scoffed at that. I couldn't help but find it funny.

"Well, I'd love to chat and all, but I need to run actually. Got a lesson to prep for, so–" I slowly began to walk away, offering the poor fellow a wave of my hand. He simply sputtered on his words behind me.

"I have _had _it with you Shrimp! You goddamn asshole! I'm gonna get you!"

His voice mellowed out the further I ran away. I left behind a trail of giggles as he continued to yell at me, and couldn't resist swerving back on my heel.

"Looks like Sabrina the teenage bitch won this one, huh!" I shouted.

He stumbled to his feet at that and began shoving his way through the crowd that surrounded him. He was too slow though, and I had places to be. I felt as though my smile would crack my face in half.

It was a wild ride, but it was totally worth it.

* * *

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**lemme know what you think!**


	53. Where Time Doesn't Apply

_[where time doesn't apply]_

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.

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Everyone was staring. I never noticed. The room always went quiet. I never noticed that either.

Perhaps I'd been working too hard; the loud buzz of public chatter, the coffee machines whirring and the harsh snap of my landlord's tongue whenever my steps were too slow. It all had turned into white noise. A distant ring I'd learned to phase out for the perseverance of my sanity. My days working as a barista were a blur. Could you blame me? It was low pay, I had to live as a neighbor to the worst boss in the world, and I knew virtually no one in town, despite having moved in months ago.

I just didn't have time to notice all the tiny details.

Faces came and went in a haze, so did my plastered smiles. Even with myself looking like an utter mess, a flash of a smile was enough to get decent tips, thankfully. That's what I forced myself to focus on—money. I wanted to be a writer, and in order to do that, I needed to open myself up to the world. Travel. Meet new people, experience new things. It was just a rough start so far.

I hadn't planned on this step of my life being of any importance.

Men hit on me nearly every day. It wasn't something new, or anything I had paid any mind too. In fact, they tipped me better than anyone else, so I couldn't complain. I was nice to everyone, that's just how I was. But, until today, I realized that maybe that wasn't something I should be doing so casually.

_He came in every week. _Somehow I always got his table. He was never alone, two men stationed on the opposite side of his booth like how the President was flanked by secret service. They were never as friendly as him.

I spoke to him as I did with anyone else. Ringing out laughs, shining a smile, complimenting his shoes. Admittedly, his face was just another blur. Another good looking man I didn't have time for.

Though today, I found myself noticing those details I'd never bothered with. Like the way he wore his suits. Rumpled, like he'd gotten in a scuffle before walking in the door. The ruffles of his wild hair, pink and startling. The way he'd seemed so hopelessly bored at the table before catching my eye, and perking up slightly.

The scars that crossed his skin. The dangerous flash of his green eyes, like he was some untamable beast with a thirst for unpredictability. The loud and harsh slap of his words as he made simple conversation. Short words. Blunt. But, meaningful.

_Do you know who you're talking to?_

I didn't know. I didn't even know it was a thing to know people around here. His friends definitely weren't as nice as him.

"Should I?" I had asked. The quiet room went even quieter. My heart squeezed at all the looks tossed my way.

Was he some celebrity? Political figure? _Not someone you make cute jokes with, obviously._ He seemed like a relaxed guy though. One who could take a joke. He never laughed out loud or anything, but I noticed the hint of a smile that almost always crossed his lips. He didn't hate what I said, just never acknowledged it.

_He's the Salamander._

As if I were supposed to know who that was. Dozens of gazes burned my back. I felt embarrassed, though I didn't know what for. That was all his friends said to me then, and I could see the curious gaze he prodded me with. He said nothing. No type of explanation.

I left to go check on their orders.

_Salamander. _All it took was one google search to understand what the big fuss was about. I floated through news reports, images, all about the Salamander of Magnolia. Blurry pictures of that wild pink hair and even a few mugshots.

_Renown criminal kingpin, my ass. _I couldn't believe it. The same man who ordered hot sauce for his scrambled eggs every brunch. I knew his favorite coffee. How many sugars he liked in it. I realized, with a start, that those men he sat with probably weren't his buddies. Hired guns most likely, even though the sign on the door said no weapons allowed.

I was back at their table before I finished comprehending the new news. I handed him his plate with trembling fingers, now sorely aware of the bulges in their coat pockets. He noticed, and frowned.

"Am I not allowed tabasco today," he prodded, "Or are you just losing your touch?"

My mind blanked at the question. He was joking. Or completely serious. I couldn't tell. I felt myself freeze up.

He was staring at me. He had the eyes of a Medusa. I felt rigid. He was unreadable. I rubbed my fingers together in a sorry attempt to move my feet. _Get the bottle, stupid._

I plucked the tabasco from an empty table and gave it to him. He lifted a single eyebrow. "You seem different."

I didn't know what to reply, or how I would even go about it. About the same time I found myself shrugging, I found words spilling from my mouth. "Well, I just didn't know."

His guards tensed. He didn't seem to react.

"Know what?" he simply asked. His mouth was full of his brunch.

"Who you were."

Now that made him grow a smile. His teeth were white and perfect. "I told you my name was Natsu," he said.

_Natsu._ I'd forgotten his name. Didn't think it mattered. Just another good looking man I didn't have time for.

"Don't tell me you forgot," he chided. I froze a bit at the glance he gave me.

If I knew anything from movies, it was that power hungry leaders like him were very sensitive to not being respected. For example, not even bothering to remember their name once already said.

"It's alright. I forget your's too most days. Those name tags really do come in handy."

I glanced down to my shirt and saw what he gestured at. _Lucy H._

"Sorry," I murmured a moment later. "I would've remembered if I knew."

Natsu looked amused. He still busied himself with his meal, shaking a copious amount of salt onto the plate. "Knew?"

He wanted me to say it. I could see it in his eyes.

"That you're the most wanted man in Magnolia."

_The Salamander._

The smirk that crawled to his lips was cocky and prideful. Playful, even.

"Wanted?" he said, "I'm just a guy having brunch. I've never done a wrong thing in my life. Aside from a few scrambles at a bar, but who doesn't have those."

Of course. According to his record, he was probably as clean as I am. It just paid a lot more to keep it like that.

"Though that does make an impression, doesn't it?" his gaze slid to me. I could feel his eyes pooling into mine. For some reason, I felt my cheeks heat.

"Certainly does." My throat felt . "Though if I'd known before, I probably wouldn't of complimented you like I do my grandma."

He shrugged, "I don't mind a compliment every now and again. Nice change of pace to the ones I usually get."

_Like what? _I wondered. _Nice gun you got there? I really liked how you killed that guy so ruthlessly._

"Especially coming from you."

He had said that so casually, I almost didn't know what to make of it. The room seemed quieter again, but I couldn't look to confirm all the eyes I felt on me. Was the great _Salamander_ hitting on me?

He took a spare glance from his plate to flick his eyes up and down my frame. "I like you."

I didn't have to look around to know people were staring. I was staring myself. "Me?" I found myself asking.

It was, well, a ridiculous concept. He was probably the most well known, powerful, good looking man I'd ever come across in this town. Surely he had other…options. Someone better than a barista who made minimum wage, who didn't even attempt at looking nice today.

"I like the way you talk to me. You're nice." he said. "Why else do you think I come back here?"

"For the food?" I questioned.

He chuckled. "The food's good, but not that good."

He still ate everything on his plate.

He had returned every week for me. I thought this with an alarm ringing through me. The town's worst criminal, suspected for a number of murders and illegal deals, taking time out of his _busy _day to come and see me?

I had no idea what to make of this. Flattery creeped into my stomach, but I knew better than to let my thoughts travel.

"You…" I began, nearly speechless. I sputtered out a harsh laugh. "You're ridiculous."

The bewildered flash of the guard's eyes were mimicked by everyone nearby. They dissolved into anger, but Natsu eased them. He wasn't offended in the least. Thankfully, because I was beginning to forget who I was talking to. Or perhaps I knew very well who I was talking to.

_The Salamander of Magnolia._

"As interesting as it is having you come to visit me, I'm afraid I don't have time for crushes." I said honestly. I picked up his empty plate. "Too much work to do and bills to pay. And me getting mixed up into all your criminal shenanigans isn't in my long term plan, unfortunately."

"Really now?" he challenged. He leaned back in his booth seat, spreading his arms across the sides with a satisfied sigh. I couldn't resist picturing sliding in next to him, his arm closing around my shoulders. "It's pretty fun being bad. You should try it."

"And what? Become your right hand girl? Paint the town red?" I nearly laughed. I cleaned up the space of their table, and gave a unladylike snort of my nose. "Thanks but no thanks."

"I like to think we'd have more of a partnership." he proposed. "'Course with some extra's thrown in."

Something unknown flickered in his jade eyes. Something unpredictable. Something daring. _Something I didn't have time for._ I felt my feet melt to the floor.

"As promising as that sounds," I said truthfully. I couldn't deny the curiosity of what a single day with him would be like. "I'm afraid I don't have time to be in love."

Natsu stood up and his lackeys followed suit. I stepped from his path, dishes propped on my hip as he brushed by me, but not before turning when he was a little too close. I could smell his scent: smoke and earth.

"Time doesn't really apply when you're with me." he spoke. "I do a damn good job of stopping the world when I want it to."

Power. Confidence. Danger. If he were an ocean, I would be drowning in him. Loving and cursing it all the while.

For the second time that day, he smiled. It was crooked. Perfect, white teeth. Sharp at the canines like a wolf ready to the draw blood. Like a dragon eyeing a golden coin. My skin shivered as I felt a brush against my hip, and I saw the last few seconds of him slipping something into my apron.

"See you next week, Lucy." he said, and like that, he was gone out of the door. Back into his criminal life. The room let up a breath of tense air. I was one of them.

Fishing through my pocket, I pulled out the hundred dollar bill he slipped me. _Ridiculous._Biting my lip, I rubbed the course paper between my fingers.

Reckless. Arrogant. Dangerous. Something I didn't have time for. _Definitely _something I didn't have time for. But nonetheless, I found myself pining for the week to come. Whatever. He was just another blurred face. No matter his reputation. Just another customer who liked hitting on a pretty blonde.

I didn't mind it. Or his visits.

He always tipped well.


	54. Nectar of Life

_honey-scented letters. fruit yogurt. smoke and earth. only an office romance between these two could tie all these things together._

_._

_._

_._

Kissing was never as good as it seemed. People never said it — about how there were no butterflies or sparks or any such thing, about how instead it was more of a smush of lips, sometimes wet, sometimes not — like a press of someone's arm against yours when cramped in a shuttle. It wasn't good or bad, just so extraordinarily plain that the entire act slipped your mind a few minutes later.

Perhaps this ideal was biased to Lucy. When she kissed people, she never had any expectations of anything better. For a while she did, when she was young and naive, without so much as a hug from a boy to set her straight. She learned soon that the lead up to the kiss was the real _kiss_. The fantasized _kiss _everyone imagined, with the pounding heart and tingling fingers. After that moment ended and the smushing of lips commenced, was the downfall. The utter dissatisfaction Lucy could taste.

She didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't that.

In all honesty, without any romantic exaggerations, this was how Lucy felt when she kissed Natsu for the first few times. However, she despite the plainness of the exchanges, she found herself pining for the short moments she had on the way to the communal kitchen.

The first time she was caught in the fridge, pressed up against the cold shelves that held yogurts and sodas with names written on them with sharpie marker. The next few times skipped around the room, the table, the back counters, behind the door when they had almost got caught by someone wanting a snack. Maybe she liked the intensity of an office romance, but in all reality, she knew that no one would give a shit if it came out that she and the mail guy from floor B2 were hooking up.

Lucy wasn't usually one to go looking for stupid things like this: random make out sessions, tripping over herself to check out a guy that hadn't even caught her eye, becoming so twisted up about him that she worked twice as hard through the day so she wouldn't be behind on work when it came for her 'snack break'. The fact that she's done this so many times that she knew how to manage her time around it.

Now, she felt it. When she kissed him, she felt the twists softly pinch her stomach. It was vague, barely even something in all truth, but it had her thinking that maybe there was such thing as a _good _kiss. One that had her knees quaking, her bones jelly. It boggled her that _this _was the man to have her thinking such irrational things.

To explain, it's best to back up.

There were certain things Lucy was good at: criticizing and writing. So, in her luck, she found herself a job where she could politely critique others and write at the same time: the Magnolia Tribune, where only the best newspaper authors came to write. Now Lucy wasn't in charge of anything quite yet, though it was a wish of hers. She was one bee in a giant hive, doing her part of editing articles she did not write, sitting at a desk for seven hours and perfecting her grammar skills.

Boredom was inevitable. Her friends were more like acquaintances, good for small talk but not much else. As naturally observant as she was, it was nearly impossible for her to not notice the new blood walking around the 8th floor. Granted his arrivals were rare, Lucy's bother to care even rarer, but as enough time passed, the more her curiosity grew.

Natsu was an eye catching man. No, in brutal honesties, he wasn't some incredibly good looking, sex god like how these stories go. He wasn't bad looking, but he wasn't a guy any girl would be crushing over either. Despite, he was unforgettable. What caught him most his looks was his hair—wild, frilly locks that spiked out like flames of a fire. The most unusual shade of bubblegum pink.

Lucy watched them, travelling up and down the aisles of cubicles, a smudge of pink in the corner of her eye. Sometimes it was pink, sometimes it was something else; someone else, another mail man that was even less noticeable than him. Every few times a week he delivered the floors mail, pushing along a little cart, butchering the pronunciation of every name he read. For the first couple times, she was Luigi Heartfilia, _Magnolia Tribune_, Editor.

"It's Lucy," she would always say, but he was gone and passed before the words could even fully pass her lips, swerving down a corner as a stack of letters lay on her desk.

She didn't even think he heard her those days, until he finally got it right.

"Lucy right?" his voice was scratchy, rough. But, deep and rich. Lucy didn't recognize it was him saying her name; she'd never heard it from him before. She looked to find him resting over the wall of the cubicle, a few letters in his hand.

"That'd be me," she said, pleasantly surprised. She took the letters and was offered a closed smile she wasn't sure was half-hearted, or simply crooked. He carried on without a beat, rounding that corner. At later exchanges, she began saying _'thank you's'_, just to have something to say other than_ 'that'd be me'_.

Every thank you earned her a smile, that she learned was both half-hearted and crooked. He made friends easily around the office, and during the times she tried her best not to eavesdrop, she witnessed Natsu in a state she would probably never see: him joking around, laughing, grinning a grin that damn well split his face in half. Sometimes he skidded down the aisles like children did with carts at the grocery store.

She tried not to let him catch her laughing at him, although she wasn't really laughing at him—she was laughing _with _him, as the phrase went. Though that idea didn't really apply, because there was no 'with' with them. There was no Lucy _with _Natsu, because that didn't exist. They still exchanged three to four words a day, eight to ten weekly.

She didn't know when the urge came to see more of him. It was gradual, slow. It didn't hit her all at once, because he wasn't a 'hit all at once' kind of guy. As the days passed one would notice Lucy craning her neck more often, eyes scouring out of her cubicle, over walls, around the 8th floor. And the more times her eyes found Natsu, the more, she noticed, _eye catching_ he became. It was as if every laugh that bubbled from him shifted a puzzle piece into place. It clicked with her, something new for every day.

_His skin is nice. All tanned._

_He has really nice teeth._

_His smile is quite cute._

_I wonder if he works out. He looks like it._

It didn't make any sense, she knew, but the more she saw of him, the _more _she saw of him.

Things progressed slowly, until they didn't. Lucy liked having her breaks in the communal kitchen. No one else really did. It was small and cramped and bleak, but Lucy liked any excuse she could have to leaving her cubicle. She knew that after passing out all the mail for the floor Natsu liked to hang around before moving on, but she was still surprised to find him stumbling across her in the break room.

Again, few words exchanged, but eventually they pushed past that stage. He would come in for something from the vending machine, and she would always have her yogurt brought from home, with the fruit bits she didn't like at the bottom. She always left first, throwing away the cup in the trash next to him while he waited for his drink to thunk to the bottom.

Small voiced goodbyes, and half-hearted smiles.

This became routine, strangely enough. Stumbling in on each other in the forgotten break room, small talks and nice chats. Advice over how to keep the vending from eating money, or the snacks from getting caught on the wire. Lucy leaving first and Natsu following suit not long after.

One day Lucy could tell he was getting tired of eating the same junk food everyday. He was stuck staring at the machine as if the contents would magically transform into something new. She fiddled around with the strawberries and blueberries at the bottom of her cup, knowing she wasn't going to eat it, but excusing some extra time to reconsider it.

"You might try the others, if nothing in there looks good," she suggested from behind him.

A glance. "Nah, this one has the best stuff. Already checked the other twelve floors."

That earned him a small laugh, one he didn't fail to notice. He sighed. "Only reason I stay up here so long."

Lucy had hoped it was because of her, but she was too dense at this moment in the story to realize that was the reason behind her disappointment.

"You should write a strongly worded letter," she said, attempting a joke. "Deliver it personally."

Natsu gave up trying to renew his interest in the vending and finally turned to her. His eyes were alight with humor, flattering Lucy. "Well," he replied, "delivering letters _is _a special skill of mine."

They shared silent smiles. After a moment Lucy got up, and passed him to go to the trashcan.

"You know, I never got why you always eat fruit yogurt, but not the fruit." he said to her.

Lucy glanced in her cup and then to him. "You want it? I didn't touch 'em."

Natsu shrugged and took the cup. He didn't mind using her spoon, instead of getting a new one in a basket next to him. Lucy didn't think much of that exchange afterwards, so she went back to work, still disappointed but unsure why.

In fact, she was too busy being disappointed to wonder why Natsu noticedshe never ate the fruit bits at the bottom of her cup.

It wasn't until a very slow day that Lucy began to feel bold. As much as she loved getting her payment checks during work, there were other letters in Natsu's stack that she didn't love as much. More specifically, the love letters of a too clingy ex-fling, who was blocked from everywhere online and so was now forced to confess his love via UPS. Usually Lucy didn't care, she knew it would blow over in a few weeks, but finding her boredom getting the best of her good judgement, she found herself pressing the B2 button in the elevator.

She wasn't going for Natsu purely, but she can't say if it were any other mail guy scheduled that day she would've even bothered with the memo.

After getting lost for a few moments, Lucy finally found herself tripping along stacks of mail and overflowing bins. The tribune really did get a lot of fanmail. With enough wandering, Lucy was asked by another mail worker just what she was looking for all the way down here.

"Natsu?" she asked. It dawned on her then that she had no idea what his last name was.

The old man's face crinkled with irritation. "He's outside," was all he said.

He brushed past her, his old arms pushing a mail bin across the room and Lucy followed his path to where some other men were shrugging on their coats. They pushed a steel door open to the snowfall in the back courtyard.

When Lucy came out, the first thing she noticed was the unpleasant smell of the trash bins a few feet away. The second was the dirty footprints left in the trace amounts of snow on the concrete, all patterned different types that led to the third thing: several pairs of eyes staring at her blatantly, Natsu among them.

Lucy couldn't feel more out of place if she tried. Apparently, _outside _was code for _smoking break._ Puffs of white clouded around the workers, and Lucy was sure it wasn't cold breaths from the temperature. People were huddled around the stairs down to ground level, sitting on mail baskets and broken office chairs. Some standing.

She had interrupted in the midst of a joke, quickly killing the laughter amongst the group. Now Lucy was obviously no hot shot of the company, but compared to these folks, she might as well be.

Only Natsu was the one to wave at her, speaking around a rolled cigarette (or possibly something else) between his lips. "Lucy, hey."

She felt mightily uncomfortable, and was beginning to regret her entire idea. "Hey," she said back. "Sorry, I didn't know you were on break. I was just—"

Lucy hesitated, not really willing to spill to the whole group she wanted to reject some sappy love letters from ever reaching her.

"Lookin' for me?" he questioned, harmlessly. A few smiles and snickers had her cheeks heating. She nodded faintly, and Natsu was up, dabbing his cigarette against the brick wall and flicking it into an old coffee can. He sprinted up the stairs, blowing out the last few traces of smoke from his lips and offered Lucy a completely clueless smile. She appreciated that very much.

As they returned to the mail industry room Natsu had asked what brought her down there. It took Lucy a second to remember the lines she didn't realize she'd been rehearsing since she stepped off the elevator, and was led to the workspace belonging to Natsu. It wasn't a cubicle, it was more open and accessible in case others needed things that he had as he sorted through the mail for those in the upper floors.

"I just wanted to ask something about my mail, actually? I figured you were the best person to go to about it," Lucy spoke.

"Sure," he replied. Brushing past Lucy, he left a trail of smoke and earth to fill her nose and hopped up to sit on a cluttered desk. Lucy found herself stepping closer subconsciously, finding she rather liked that mix of scents.

"This isn't a complaint is it? 'Cause I swear, it was Gray who's been sticking those stupid letters between my mail with that picture of me."

"Uh, no."

Natsu looked relieved, "Oh. So what's up then?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile at herself then, finding what she was doing rather childish. "Okay well, you know those letters I get every week or so? The…scented ones? From a guy named Dan?"

Natsu had to think a moment, "Yeah. They smell like honey, but I figured it was an accident."

"No," Lucy sighed, "It's on purpose. He's a guy I had this thing with that I ended, only he doesn't know that we ended it. Something to do with me being the nectar of his life?"

Natsu sputtered out a laugh. "Seriously? That's what all those letters are about?"

Lucy felt embarrassed, but smiled anyways. "Yeah. I blocked him from everywhere online, so this is the only place he knows where he can reach me. He tried messaging me through PlayStation once."

Now they laughed together.

"I was just wondering if it would be any easier for you to just throw them away once you get 'em? You know, don't even bother with it." Lucy asked.

"I can do that for you," Natsu said. He left no room for doubt in his voice. His eyes seemed bright with something Lucy couldn't identify.

"Really?" she chimed. It was then she noticed she had nearly drifted between his legs, and planted her feet to the floor.

"Sure," he said easily, "Don't mind it for ya, you're pretty nice."

The crooked, half smile that he had crawling on his lips had a _twang _strumming in Lucy's stomach. _His smile was quite cute,_ she thought again.

"Are there people not being nice here?" she questioned, humor on her tongue.

Natsu scoffed, and Lucy watched his smile spread from something soft and friendly to some wild, untamable laugh. "Hell no! Everyone down here treats me horribly. _That's _why I like you so much."

Lucy couldn't tell if he meant to be complimenting her so much, whether it was a game he was trying to play or if it was just him, being sweet and incredibly dense at the same time. She found later that she didn't quite care.

Lucy said her goodbyes after that and went back up to her unedited articles, wondering the entire way if she stupidly had just cut off his one reason to come and see her every other day.

She hadn't. Natsu still had her weekly checks to deliver and piles of junk mail, mostly magazines she subscribed to for shoe deals. She never got another letter from Dan again.

* * *

Natsu wasn't the mysterious type, but he didn't fail from stirring Lucy's curiosity the more times she discovered something new about him. He was the kind where you didn't realize you knew nothing about him until you knew something more.

Lucy had no idea who he was, but also she did, in a way. She knew he liked jokes and pranks, how he favored spicy over sweet, how his hatred for some guy named Gray grew weekly. What she didn't know was his last name, or what he did when he wasn't at the office, sorting through mail bins, which accounted for over half a week of free time.

Natsu was an unknown character.

While Lucy had the intention of learning more, things had progressed so quickly she hadn't the time. The days grew to where Lucy worked harder so she could enjoy a longer break in the communal kitchen. They also grew to where she felt bolder with her words, chiming out tones to test the water of his interest. It hadn't occurred to her she was willingly flirting with him.

After all, he was only a _little _cute. There were little things about him that were attractive, not to be seen with a single glance, but noticed over time of observations. The way he smelled, the different laughs he owned with different jokes, the way his eyes were the deepest of greens, only able to be seen if accidentally bumped into his chest while getting up for the bathroom.

It was a medley of colorful swirls that made him what he was, not one reining characteristic. That was what captured Lucy so dizzily. She couldn't think of many people like that—who evolved with time from something so plain to something to fascinating, by doing nothing at all.

Lucy's likeness of this fact is what led her to being caught between the kitchen counter and Natsu, his hand on the cabinet beside her, keeping her trapped like a bunny in a cage. He had a peculiar way of kissing—it was in such a way one couldn't tell if it was his first or hundredth. Another thing about him that was doomed to be unknown. How was it possible someone so open could be so hard to know?

If Natsu wanted something he took it. If he was feeling some certain way, he didn't hide it. That was why when the time came, he admitted his disinterest in the fruit cups she always offered, and he always ate, and put the cup on the table to be forgotten. Lucy could still remember the cold refrigerator shelf against the skin of her thigh as she reached for a water. How the next second she was witnessing the dark green of Natsu's eyes.

"You know, I don't even like blueberries that much." he had spoken. Lucy was frozen, speechless, and kissed a second later.

Kissing still wasn't as memorable as she remembered, but the bone-chilling shudder of him approaching her, encapturing her, was a perfect substitute. The real, true feeling that she had read about came much later, after days of meetings in the forgotten kitchen. It was something about the way he held her, like she was dangling off a cliff and he was the only thing keeping her from falling, his arm circled her waist. How she could feel the curve of his grin against hers like nothing was ever as serious as it had to be. Like nothing ever had to matter.

It came to when she craved feeling his smile more than the actual kiss. Supposedly, she was weird like that.

It was a time to remember, because of course, as all nice things went, it had to blow up at some point or another.

For Lucy, it was the afternoon just a month after the previous exchanges. She learned that day that ignoring your problems did not just mean they went away, so when Dan Straight came booming into her office, she could say truthfully she had no idea what to do.

Lucy and Natsu had to shuffle from the break room to see what the commotion was on the 8th floor, flattening hair and tucking in shirts. They arrived in the midst of—

"There! That's him!" Dan had barked. His finger was pointed straight at Natsu, crossing the entire room. Behind Dan was two very under-qualified security guards, who looked more than doubtful about the accusations thrown. He whipped to them. "Well? _Get him!"_

The two guards did not hurry with coming at Natsu, but Natsu sure did hurry with running away from them. Lucy was left in a trail of wind as a chase commenced, and gaped backed to Dan by the elevators. "Dan? What the _hell?"_

Dan stomped his way over, footsteps hard, like he wanted to show Lucy just how upset he was with every step. He stopped with a huff in his chest. "He's the one that's been intercepting all my letters! You haven't gotten a single one have you? I knew it, and now I know why—" a single glance over Lucy's rumpled clothes that she scurried to adjust, "You've been cheating on me Lucy?"

Another gust of wind; Natsu zipped down the aisle of cubicles past the two, the guards hot on his tail. A grin had formed on his lips.

"We're not together Dan, I don't know how else to explain this." Lucy hissed, "Get it through your skull that if a girl happens to block you from _literally _everything in her life, she doesn't like you!"

Laughter erupted from Natsu somewhere in the office—then a grunt. Bodies thudded to the ground behind a cubicle wall.

Dan's face had grown to an explosive red. "Doesn't matter Lucy, your boyfriend's going to jail now!"

"Jail?" Lucy and Natsu echoed. He was in the process of being handcuffed at that moment.

"Oh what?" Dan turned to Natsu, "Did you forget that throwing away someone else's mail is illegal?"

That was something Natsu should probably have known, given he works in the mail room, but did not. Neither did Lucy, so both shared an equally _~fucked~ _glance.

"Dan please," Lucy sighed. "Just get over this. We're done, you don't have to do this."

Tears swam at the corners of his eyes and Lucy grimaced. "At least let me go in dignity," he uttered. Lucy shrugged; she couldn't keep him from that.

As the guards led Natsu into the elevator, Lucy and the rest of the 8th floor could only watch. He waved a shackled hand to her, his grin whispering a comforting _don't worry _into her ear. The list of people Lucy had to talk to that day just extended by about 10 people: the first, the very confused boss she later had to beg to not fire her, or Natsu.

The rest of the list involved the police, for many stressful hours. Eventually she was allowed to visit Natsu in captivity. He was chained to a desk when she walked in, ankles shackled to the floor—he's obviously been quite a case to handle.

"You know running from those guards probably wasn't the best idea," she found herself saying to his grin. She sat down across from him at the table.

"Force of habit," he shrugged. He found the perk in her expression humorous.

"Running from the police? Wow, just _who _did I get mixed up with?" she questioned. "Don't tell me you're some international criminal after work hours."

"I wouldn't go as far as criminal," Natsu implied, "But I do know some good friends internationally." He more pissed people off than got into any actual trouble.

They shared a smile, softly.

"So?" Natsu had to ask.

"No jail~" Lucy sang, tired, "I had to explain to them that I gave you permission to throw out the letters. Had to pull the stalker card, which wasn't really a card to be perfectly honest." she sighed. "Might be fined a bit though."

"That's okay," he sniffed. "I have some stacks of cash buried underneath my house."

Lucy hit his shoulder, erupting in laughter. She was suddenly thankful then, that he wasn't as angry as he the right to be.

"Sorry I got you arrested," she murmured. A pout took on her lips.

"Ah, don't be," Natsu exhaled, falling back in his seat. His shackles jangled loudly. "If someone didn't try to put me in jail at some point I'd think they were up to something."

Lucy smiled.

"I'll be out of here in a little while. Maybe a few days after I find some witness for me." he went on. Lucy raised an eyebrow at the expertise he certainly had in this situation. She rested her cheek in her palm sadly, poking at her bottom lip.

"I really did fall for a criminal, didn't I?"

Cufflinks jingled as he shifted in his seat, a sharp curve of a grin cut into his mouth. He attempted a modest look, but said nothing.

"Well I'm gonna go ahead and go," Lucy said, standing up. "Someone's gotta convince the old guy to throw out the fine, and I just so happen to be very good at reasoning with people."

Lucy's fingers went to the rubber band in her hair, pulling it loose to drop to her shoulders. Then she tugged at the collars of her shirt. Natsu was suddenly grateful for Lucy's presence, watching with pleasantries.

Feeling an urge now, he stood up to lean over the desk. Lucy dipped her face back though at the look in his eye, checking the one-way mirror with a split glance.

"I'm not about to kiss you like some prison wife! Look at you!" she scoffed. Natsu's hands were still cuffed to the table, jangling as he tugged at them. Lucy saw the chain connect to his ankle bracelets beneath the table.

"Come on, I just wanna say thank you," he chided.

Lucy hesitated. Natsu could see her mulling it over.

_"Come on,"_ he trilled. His fingers tapped on the table, as if beckoning her. The eager light in his eye sparkled at her frown.

He had just enough chain length to tug at the hem of her shirt, pulling her to the edge of the table. A smile had slid it's way across his lips like a snake, forcing one of her own. His scent of smoke and earth drifted to her, one she found she liked more than she by the small specks of green she saw, Lucy closed to the space.

When he couldn't use his hands, she did in his place, the fine traces of his jaw trailed underneath her nails.

"Thank you," he voiced, deep in his throat.

Lucy pressed her lips together, teeth grazing the skin of her bottom lip. She felt the skip in her stomach flood upward—this was not something she had felt before.

"You can thank me later," she spoke. "After I get your ass out of jail."

Natsu didn't seem to mind that idea. He watched as Lucy packed up her things, slinging on her coat and purse.

"See ya, prison wife." he called, clinking back down in his seat.

The glare he received over her shoulder was enough to last him one dull night in a jail cell, until he had to go back to work for another, not-so-secret meet up in the forgotten break room.


End file.
